Kevin's bloghttp://dmpl.org/blogs/kevin
enCanada's Punk Rockers: Rebelling Against... Something, and Doing It Wellhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/canadas-punk-rockers-rebelling-against-something-and-doing-it-well
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Simple%20Plan.jpg" width="400" height="400" alt="The CD cover for Simple Plan&#039;s No Pads, No Helmets-- Just Balls" title="No Pads, No Helmets-- Just Balls" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>I’m sort of embarrassed to admit&nbsp;it, but my international travel has been limited to three trips to our neighbor to the north, Canada. Actually, one of those barely even qualifies. In 1999, while in Detroit during a multi-city baseball trip with two of my nephews (neither of whom had ever been to Canada, but wanted to be able to say that they had), I drove to Windsor, Ontario long enough for us to get burgers at Harvey’s, the biggest Canadian-owned burger chain in the country. The length of the entire trip was maybe an hour. My previous forays into The Great White North (a tip of the cap to Bob and Doug Mackenzie, characters from the once-popular <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PALLTI&amp;term=sctv&amp;x=9&amp;y=10&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>SCTV</em></a> sketches) came many years earlier during a pair of family vacations with my parents. Both of those trips were in the western provinces, the English-speaking part of the country, where the relative differences in culture to that of the Midwest isn’t any greater than that between the Midwest and the American east coast.</p>
<p>The impression of Canada that I came away with from those three trips was that of a slightly cleaner country than my own United States, inhabited with people who seemed a little more polite than my own fellow countrymen. I’m sure that that assessment doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as those things seem to be the most common ones that Americans observe about our neighbor to the north. The trouble with impressions made from vacation trips, however, is that you tend to visit “nice” places and seldom stray into decaying areas filled with have-nots. The picture is very seldom balanced. For all I know, Canada may have had its share of urban blight and teeming slums, no different than the United States, but I didn’t see it. Consequently, my view of Canada was fairly rosy.</p>
<p>Several years ago, I noticed a certain musical trend coming out of Canada, which was the surprising number of Canadian punk bands that were making inroads into the United States music charts. My general perception of Canada was somewhat rocked by the thought of the country now being a hotbed for emerging punk artists. “What are they rebelling against?” I wondered. Could it be the lack of recent Stanley Cup triumphs by their NHL franchises in recent years? Or, were they pissed off about the 1995 merger of their homegrown Tim Hortons restaurant chain with America’s Wendy’s International? (For the record, Tim Hortons was spun off as its own company again in 2006, only to merge with Burger King eight years later; so they might be pissed again!) Who knows the reason? In any case, punk, the music of rebellion, was alive and well in Canada. The punk of the nineties until now, of course, isn’t quite the same as what it was when it first came onto the music scene in the seventies.</p>
<p>So, what is punk? As is the case with other popular genres, the music is defined by common lyrical content, tempo, and instrumentation, but also by the attire worn by band members (and their fans), as well as their general attitude, whether it be their stage presence or the way they act during interviews, public appearances, etc. Punk originally emerged in the seventies as part of the do-it-yourself (DIY) movement, and particularly in Britain, as a political outcry by a generation of young working class men who were coming of age only to find an economic landscape littered with failed manufacturing companies and entire industries paralyzed by lengthy strikes. The decline of the British Empire had resulted in a generation of workers feeling hopeless about their prospects, but with few viable ways to express their frustration. This frustration resonated to some degree with the younger generation in the United States and Canada, but the economic difficulties in North America were never as devastating or long lasting as they were in Britain.</p>
<p>Although punk originated on this side of the Atlantic Ocean with <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!194349~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=15&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Ramones+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Ramones</a> in the mid-seventies, punk never became more than an underground movement here. Had it not been for the safety-pin piercings and spikey, multi-colored hairdos of its adherents, it’d probably have gone unnoticed by most Americans. A few major cities had fervent punk scenes, but the movement never really took hold across the board. By 1980, several of Britain’s punk bands had already evolved into what would become known as new wave, which – in part due to the launch of MTV in 1981, which initially relied on newer bands willing to produce music videos – <em>did</em> have a decided impact in North America and around the world.</p>
<p><img alt="The CD cover for Sum 41's &quot;Underclass Hero.&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/Sum%2041.jpg" style="float:left; height:230px; margin:5px; width:230px" />While new wave siphoned off most of the major British groups who were hitting the American pop charts during the eighties, punk didn’t completely wither away. In fact, it was renamed hardcore punk to more clearly differentiate it from the much poppier post-punk bands of the eighties that would eventually morph into alternative rock. Hardcore punk soon jettisoned the “punk” portion of the name and carried on the angry attitude for ensuing generations of rebellious young music fans. By the late-eighties, a punk revival was fomenting on the west coast wherein the music was more akin to the late-seventies style. By the mid-nineties, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!251257~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=17&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Green+Day+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Green Day</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!251165~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=19&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Offspring+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Offspring</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!241138~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=21&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Blink-182+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Blink-182</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!263843~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=23&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Everclear+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Everclear</a> were among a wave of bands championing this more melodic form of punk that would boost the genre into the upper reaches of the U.S. singles charts for the first time, with accompanying massive album sales. It is this strain of west coast punk that gained traction in Canada during the late nineties and into the new millennium.</p>
<p>Before I go any further, I want to point out that punk didn’t just suddenly appear in Canada during the late nineties. In fact, some of the first major punk bands in North America were Canadian. The first Canadian punk band to be signed by a major label (Columbia) was The Diodes in 1977, which came within a year of their formation. The Toronto, Ontario-based band released three proper albums, as well as a fourth album of demos and outtakes between 1977 and 1982. They were largely responsible for creating the vibrant Toronto punk scene, as the band and their manager turned their practice space into the city’s first punk club. Hamilton, Ontario’s Teenage Head was started by high school classmates in 1975 and they had their self-titled debut disc on store shelves by 1979. Teenage Head released several albums during the eighties, which may have been helped or hindered by the notoriety they received for two Toronto concerts (in 1978 and 1980) that ended in riots and police intervention.</p>
<p>On Canada’s west coast, punk was also becoming established. Vancouver, British Columbia’s D.O.A., formed in 1978, was soon regarded as one of the progenitors of hardcore punk during the early eighties. Since then, D.O.A. has experimented with various musical styles – with a revolving door of members – but they always seem to return to their punk rock roots. In the process, they have released an impressive eighteen studio albums! Nomeansno formed in Victoria, BC in 1979, the result of attending a D.O.A. concert that got them pumped up for punk. Their distinctive sound comes from placing the instrumental emphasis on the bass guitar and drum kit, rather than on lead guitar. Since 1982, Nomeansno has released a dozen albums and numerous EPs.</p>
<p>A new breed of Canadian punk bands began emerging in the late nineties, no doubt inspired by the success that America’s west coast punk bands were already achieving. This time, however, almost all of the action taking place north of the border was&nbsp;in the province of Ontario.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!269172~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=29&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sum+41+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Sum 41</a> came together in tiny Ajax, Ontario in 1996, but were soon gigging in the province’s larger cities. Their first album was released in 2000, but it was 2001’s <em>All Killer No Filler</em> that brought them fame on both sides of the border. Often sophomoric in their lyrical approach, the quality of their musicianship and production, however, make their albums a rollicking romp. Through 2011 they’ve put out half a dozen studio albums, plus one live disc.</p>
<p>Montreal, Quebec’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!273519~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=31&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Simple+Plan+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Simple Plan</a> was formed in 1999 by several high school friends who’d initially gone their own way after graduation, but came together again a couple of years later. Their first album, <em>No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls </em>(2002), was an immediate success, using a formula that might be described as “party punk.” Since then, they’ve released three more studio albums and a live set.</p>
<p>Hailing from Burlington, Ontario, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!584194~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=33&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Silverstein+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Silverstein</a> began in 2000 as a side project of its five members. After recording a well-received EP that same year, the quintet decided to become a permanent arrangement. Silverstein’s post-hardcore sound is a melding of screamo and punk. The band has recorded eight full-length albums between their first in 2003 and their latest, which was released this year. A good place to start might be 2005’s <em>Discovering the Waterfront</em>.</p>
<p>Like Silverstein, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!577722~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=35&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Alexisonfire+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Alexisonfire</a> (pronounced Alexis on fire, not Alex is on fire) also mines post-hardcore territory. Formed in St. Catharines, Ontario in 2001, the combo’s disc debut came with an eponymously titled album in 2003. The highpoint of their five-album career may be 2006’s <em>Crisis</em>.</p>
<p><img alt="The CD cover for the Fucked Up album &quot;Glass Boys.&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/Glass%20Boys.jpg" style="float:right; height:230px; margin:5px; width:230px" />Together since 2001, Toronto, Ontario’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!894565~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=37&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Fucked+Up+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Fucked Up</a> released a succession of EPs and singles before recording their first full-length album in 2006. Three more albums have been issued subsequently, but the prolific band continues to churn out EPs and singles at an amazing rate. The eclectic rockers vary from the usual enraged vocals and limited, but feverish guitar lines of traditional punk songs to also include lengthy instrumental passages, atypical arrangements, and experimental sections. Their latest album, 2014’s <em>Glass Boys</em>, may be their most subversive yet.</p>
<p>Other Canadian punk bands worth a listen include <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1250870~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=49&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+black+Irish&amp;index=PALLTI">The Mahones</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1332274~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=43&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Failed+states&amp;index=PALLTI">Propagandhi</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1085466~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=51&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Billy+Talent+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Billy Talent</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S41I53919L80.16027&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1067702~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=53&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Death+From+Above+1979+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Death from Above 1979</a>. Click on any of the linked items to take you to the online catalog records of each of these bands. Reserve them, take them home, and give them a spin. Then&nbsp;you&nbsp;too can find out why punk is alive and well in the land of the maple leaf!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/punk-rock" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">punk rock</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/canada" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Canada</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:03:51 +0000Kevin11181 at http://dmpl.orgSherlock Holmes on Screenhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/sherlock-holmes-screen
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Sherlock%20Holmes%20-%20Jeremy%20Brett.jpg" width="313" height="445" alt="The DVD cover for The Sherlock Holmes Feature Film Collection, starring Jeremy Brett." title="The Sherlock Holmes Feature Film Collection" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>I&nbsp;grew up in the sixties and seventies as the youngest of three sons born into a lower-middle class family. My parents worked hard and pinched pennies, almost to the point of making it a science. We fell into that fairly sizeable category of Americans who could say (cliché as it is) “We didn’t have a lot, but we always had enough.” My parents never spent lavishly on anything. The two days of the year that our parents did indulge us were, not surprisingly, our birthdays and Christmas. Indulge might be too strong a word. On both occasions, we received several gifts, some of which were things that we specifically wanted. There was almost always one, higher-ticket item that was the centerpiece of the day for each of us. To ensure that we’d get what we wanted, we’d write out wish lists for my mother, often annotated with rankings of items. These lists, which would be added to, or amended, up to a few days before Christmas, would include from about five to maybe a dozen items. We wouldn’t expect to get every item on our lists, but we usually got our top-ranked choices.</p>
<p>You may call it just another aspect of the commercialization of Christmas, but one of the favorite objects in the house every fall was the <em>Sears Wish Book</em>, a Christmas catalog with over 300 colorful pages of popular gift items that your loved ones would likely enjoy finding under the tree on December 25. We would pore over that catalog for hours, dreaming of playing with toys that no doubt looked better in the beautifully laid out pages than they ever could in our basement. Nevertheless, the most interesting items invariably found their way onto our Christmas lists.</p>
<p>My brothers and I typically knew each other’s most desired present. That knowledge proved very useful on those occasions when our mother had questions about an item on one of our brother’s lists and we’d be able to guide in her in the right direction. We were three boys and we wanted toys, not shirts, not socks, not underwear, just toys! Then one year I was completely blindsided by my oldest brother. The number one item on his list wasn’t a toy, it was a book! Specifically, it was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=S4R019I481202.18912&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!749716~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+complete+Sherlock+Holmes+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Complete Sherlock Holmes</em></a> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a massive, 1,122-page collection of all the short stories (56) and novels (4). Apparently, he’d seen a handful of the old Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone and he wanted to check out the original source material. I didn’t get it! Why would he waste his top choice on a book, an adult book, at that? Surely <em>The Complete Sherlock Holmes</em> wasn’t in the <em>Sears Wish Book</em>! I figured that it’d take him months to read such a book. How could that be any fun?</p>
<p>Well, he got that book, and he was serious about reading it, too. He wasn’t just going to put it on his book shelve to look all impressive. He probably had a couple of the short stories finished by the end of the day and close to a dozen read by the end of that week. As I recall, it did take him months to finish that collection, but he did it willingly. In fact, he got into it so much that he later got a deerstalker hat, like the ones seen in the original illustrations by Sidney Paget (in Great Britain) and Frederic Dorr Steele (in the United States). Thus, my first introduction to Sherlock Holmes, was through my big brother.</p>
<p><img alt="The DVD cover for The Hound of the Baskervilles, starring Basil Rathbone." src="/sites/default/files/Hound%20of%20the%20Baskervilles_4.jpg" style="float:left; height:350px; margin:5px; width:240px" />I read my first Holmes short story in a high school English class when we were assigned to read “The Red-Headed League.” Late in college, I took a literature class that focused on the history of the mystery genre and read the Holmes novel <em>The Hound of the Baskervilles</em>. Both of those were interesting, but not so much so that I felt a need to tackle The Complete Sherlock Holmes. Instead, of reading Holmes, I was more content to watch Holmes. As I’d gotten heavily into movies in my mid-teens, I’d watch just about anything I could. By the time I’d reached my mid-twenties, I’d seen several of Rathbone’s Holmes pictures and several other Holmes movies, as well, such as <em>Sherlock Holmes</em> (1932), <em>A Study in Scarlet</em> (1933), <em>A Study in Terror</em> (1965), <em>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</em> (1970), <em>They Might Be Giants</em> (1971), and <em>Young Sherlock Holmes</em> (1985).</p>
<p>When I visited my oldest brother in Connecticut several years ago, he gave me a partial tour of The Constitution State, which included a trip to Gillette Castle in Hadlyme. Now part of Gillette Castle State Park (one of the top tourist attractions in the state), the former private residence was designed by actor William Gillette and built between 1914 and 1919. Gillette was already a very popular actor when he adapted several of Doyle’s stories into a four-act stage play. He even met with Doyle and got his blessing. After several out-of-town tryouts, Sherlock Holmes opened on Broadway on November 6, 1899 to grand success. After a lucrative run on The Great White Way, he enjoyed similar success with the play on London’s West End. It was Gillette, more than any other actor, who established the look of the character, which is imitated to this day. Many other troupes also staged the show in countries worldwide, making him a fortune. Gillette starred in several revivals of the show into the 1930s, touring with it throughout the United States. In 1916, Gillette starred in the motion picture adaptation <em>Sherlock Holmes</em>, the only filmed record of his performance. Long believed lost, the film was found in the archives of the Cinémathèque Française in Paris just last year! It’s now in the process of being restored. As for my brother, decades after first reading those Doyle stories, he was still enthralled by anything relating to the British detective, such as visiting the Gillette Castle – though in all fairness, that site is very much worth checking out regardless of whether one holds a fascination with Holmes.</p>
<p>Movie versions of Doyle’s detective date all the way back to 1900, just a handful of years into cinematic history. In the century-plus since, Holmes has probably become the most frequently seen literary character on screen. At this point, there are almost too many versions to count! Nevertheless, rather than being burnt out as a character, the public’s current fascination with Holmes is likely the highest it’s been since Doyle was writing the original stories. At the moment, there are two popular TV series in production, an ongoing theatrical series, as well as the recently-released <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=S4R019I481202.18912&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1649666~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=MR.+HOLMES+%28DVD%29&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Mr. Holmes</em></a>. Starting with the Rathbone films, here are some of the highlights of Holmes’ screen incarnations.</p>
<p>In all, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce starred together as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively, in fourteen films. The first two – <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1M4N18967160H.18686&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!35372~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Hound+of+the+Baskervilles&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Hound of the Baskervilles</em></a> (based on Doyle’s novel) and <em>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</em> (based on Gillette’s play) – were quality productions released by 20th Century Fox in 1939. The remaining dozen were produced as B-pictures by Universal and were released between 1942 and 1946. Several of the Universal films were clumsily re-set to World War II. Nonetheless, for many fans, Rathbone’s portrayal is still the yardstick by which all others are measured.</p>
<p>From the fifties through the seventies, Britain’s Hammer Films remade, or re-envisioned, just about every horror movie/franchise from the thirties and forties, only in color – some for better, some for worse. Nearly all of them starred Peter Cushing and/or Christopher Lee. In 1959, they tackled <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1M4N18967160H.18686&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!7579~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+hound+of+the+Baskervilles+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a></em>, with Cushing as Holmes and Lee as Sir Henry Baskerville. This one may be for better.</p>
<p>Between 1984 and 1994, Jeremy Brett starred as the master sleuth&nbsp;in thirty-six hour-long episodes and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14401898399LF.18707&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!945847~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=21&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Sherlock+Holmes+feature+films+collection&amp;index=PALLTI">five telefilms</a> for Britain’s Granada Television. Known by the umbrella title&nbsp;<em>Sherlock Holmes</em>, the&nbsp;episodes actually span&nbsp;four distinct series: <em>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14401898399LF.18707&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!945858~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Return+of+Sherlock+Holmes&amp;index=PALLTI">The Return of Sherlock Holmes</a>, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes</em>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14401898399LF.18707&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!983743~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+memoirs+of+Sherlock+Holmes+DVD+collection+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes</em></a>. Unlike other Holmes series, this one only featured direct – and faithful – adaptations of the Doyle stories. A sizeable number of Holmes enthusiasts now consider Brett’s characterization to be definitive.</p>
<p><img alt="The DVD cover of Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr." src="/sites/default/files/Sherlock%20Holmes%20-%20Robert%20Downey%20Jr._1.jpg" style="float:right; height:350px; margin:5px; width:240px" />As the virtual perfection of the Brett series cast a long shadow, since then, producers seem to have shied away from creating anything too close to what had already been done for fear of unflattering comparisons. Consequently, more recent adaptations of the famed detective have strayed from the original conception of Holmes in favor of greater artistic license. For instance, in the 2009 movie <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P40190Q6122R.18784&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1201348~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sherlock+Holmes&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Sherlock Holmes</em></a>, director Guy Ritchie’s take on Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) expands the characters from intellectual detective and empathetic doctor assistant, to also being rough and tumble fighters. No longer content to just discover what has occurred in the past, they are willing to physically force the action forward. A sequel, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P40190Q6122R.18784&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1303592~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sherlock+Holmes+a+game+of+shadows+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows</em></a>, arrived in 2011 and a long-awaited third chapter is now rumored as a possible 2016 release.</p>
<p>When Holmes returned to the telly in the UK, it was in a version that reset the time period to modern-day London. <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P40190Q6122R.18784&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=sherlock+season+dvd+cumberbatch&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Sherlock</a></em>, which premiered in 2010, stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular detective and Martin Freeman as his ever-faithful sidekick. The show was an instant hit on both sides of the Atlantic. British television being British television, however, the show is produced infrequently, with seasons of just three episodes. Additional seasons were produced in 2012 and 2013, with the next not expected until 2017! American television being American television, producers on this side of the Atlantic are ever-ready to adapt, duplicate, or imitate a successful British show. In this case, it came to us in 2012 in the form of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P40190Q6122R.18784&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=14&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=Elementary+jonny+lee+miller&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Elementary</em></a>, starring Jonny Lee Miller. The twist of it being reset to modern-day New York City, however, wasn’t twist enough, so Dr. John Watson was morphed into Dr. Joan Watson, essayed by Lucy Liu. The series has already run for three seasons, with a fourth coming this fall.</p>
<p>In the just released <em>Mr. Holmes</em>, Ian McKellen stars as the long-retired and increasingly forgetful investigator who is still bothered by an unsolved thirty-year-old case. Based on Mitch Cullin’s novel <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=S4R019I481202.18912&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1653751~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=A+SLIGHT+TRICK+OF+THE+MIND+%3A+A+NOVEL+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>A Slight Trick of the Mind</em></a>, its setting is the English countryside after the Second World War, and so examines the detective at a point in his life never explored by Doyle, who died in 1930. With so many Doyle stories from which to choose, as well as an ever-increasing canon of novels by other writers, the Holmes well is unlikely to ever run dry.</p>
<p>In the (unlikely) event that the many choices above aren’t enough to satiate your thirst for Holmes, there are a few other titles in the library’s collection that you may want to view. These include 1988’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P40190Q6122R.18784&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!967854~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=18&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Without+a+clue&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Without a Clue</em></a>, a parody starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley; <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P40190Q6122R.18784&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!971554~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Hands+of+a+murderer+a+Sherlock+Holmes+mystery+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Hands of a Murderer: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery</em></a> (1990), an American telefilm starring Edward Woodward; <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P40190Q6122R.18784&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1044074~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=22&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sherlock+Holmes+and+the+case+of+the+silk+stocking&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking</em></a> (2004), a British telefilm starring Rupert Everett; 2010’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P40190Q6122R.18784&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1218315~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=24&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tom+and+Jerry+meet+Sherlock+Holmes+original+movie+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes</em></a>, a straight-to-video animated tale with one-time movie star Michael York voicing Holmes; and the 2013 documentary <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P40190Q6122R.18784&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1495411~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=26&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=How+Sherlock+changed+the+world&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>How Sherlock Changed the World</em></a>. So get a clue and check out some Sherlock Holmes DVDs at your favorite branch of the Des Moines Public Library!<br />
&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/sherlock-holmes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Sherlock Holmes</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/television" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">television</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Fri, 21 Aug 2015 16:18:12 +0000Kevin11142 at http://dmpl.orgA Burst of Energy: The Twin Cities Rocked the Eightieshttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/burst-energy-twin-cities-rocked-eighties
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Prince_1.jpg" width="300" height="300" alt="The CD cover for the Prince album &quot;Dirty Mind.&quot;" title="Prince&#039;s &quot;Dirty Mind&quot;" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>“What’s the best thing ever to come out of Minnesota?” he asked.</p>
<p>“I don’t know… <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14377HH29476G.4304&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!15095~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Dylan%2C+Bob%2C+1941-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Bob Dylan</a>?” I responded.</p>
<p>“No, it’s Interstate 35!” He laughed hard at his own joke.</p>
<p>I first heard that joke while I was waiting for marching band practice to start late one autumn afternoon on the campus of the University of Iowa. I'm sure that joke gets used by Minnesotans in reference to Iowans just as often and that other states use versions with different highway numbers, as well. A longtime trombone player, but a non-music major, I spent two years in the Hawkeye Marching Band. That was a result of encouragement from my older brother, who <em>was</em> a music major and spent all four of his college years stomping the turf for the entertainment of the loyal football fans. Ever loyal, despite what was happening on the gridiron. In the late seventies, Iowa was still in the throes of a streak of nineteen non-winning seasons (there were, however, three .500 seasons during the streak that proved no more than a tease of success). Not surprisingly, it wasn’t at all uncommon for game attendees to comment to band members that they really came just to see the marching band.</p>
<p>In those days, the band was a highly featured part of the Saturday game-day festivities. We started with a concert at the Field House – not to be confused with The Fieldhouse, a popular bar in downtown Iowa City for decades. From the Field House, we marched to Kinnick Stadium, where we’d immediately line up along the field for the pre-game show. We high-stepped our way through “On Iowa” and “The Iowa Fight Song” before stopping to play “The National Anthem.” At halftime, we performed elaborately choreographed routines to four or five songs. After many games, we took the field a final time for a post-game show of two or three additional songs, though these were not choreographed. It took a lot of work to prepare for each game, but hearing tens of thousands of fans cheering you on made it worth it.</p>
<p>People who know my fondness for music, sometimes ask if I were ever in a band. I tell them, “Only if you count the Hawkeye Marching Band.” “No, I meant a ‘real’ band, you know, a rock band. Were you ever in one of those?” is sometimes their response. Asked and answered, I would have thought, but I nevertheless reply with something like “No, I was never in a ‘real’ band.” Actually, there are any number of reasons for this, including 1) aside from groups like <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1437Q704AL220.4325&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!153119~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Chicago+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Chicago</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1U3777I4A4010.4339&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!246542~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Blood%2C+Sweat%2C+and+Tears+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Blood, Sweat &amp; Tears</a>, and a few funk bands, trombones weren’t part and parcel of rock music; 2) I didn’t have the money to buy a guitar and pay for lessons; 3) had I even had the inclination, my straight-laced father would have done his best to strongly discourage such a thought, or even downright forbid it (for him, guitars were best tolerated if delicately strummed as background to choruses of “Kumbaya” or “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” as part of the occasional youth service at church). My mother, on the other hand, was more broadminded and would often stay up late on Friday nights to watch <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1U3777I4A4010.4339&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!41997~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+midnight+special+%5BDVD%5D.&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Midnight Special</em></a> music show with my brother and me. I doubt, however, that she would have supported one of her boys’ pursuit of becoming a rock musician. So, the closest I ever came to rocking out as a musician was probably the time that the marching band did a medley of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1437X7R6L0659.4359&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!96417~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Village+People&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Village People</a>’s “YMCA” and “In the Navy.” Yeah, I obviously never came very close (though in all honesty, the crowd did go wild!) Yet, I’ve always had a real appreciation for popular musicians, it’s just that I wasn’t cut out to be one myself.</p>
<p>It must have taken a lot of courage for a young Bob Dylan to drop out of the University of Minnesota after one year in 1960 to seek his livelihood as a folk musician in New York City. Few have the ability and vision to take such a leap of faith. It wasn’t long, of course, before Dylan was revered as a songwriter, but he was also noted for his unusual vocal style, which went a long way towards breaking down the barrier between composers and singers. When Dylan came on the scene, singers were hired guns paid to present songs in the best possible light. The prevailing crooner crowd – <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1437X7R6L0659.4359&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!13662~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sinatra%2C+Frank%2C+1915-1998&amp;index=PZAUTH">Frank Sinatra</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1R377CI696113.4376&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!162665~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Como%2C+Perry%2C+1912-2001&amp;index=PZAUTH">Perry Como</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14I77707T535N.4385&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!162678~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Williams%2C+Andy%2C+1927-2012&amp;index=PZAUTH">Andy Williams</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1437T708S055P.4408&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!140362~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Bennett%2C+Tony%2C+1926-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Tony Bennett</a>, etc. – were never expected to write their own material. Record companies simply bought songs and provided them to their rosters of singers. Dylan wasn’t having any of that. Although covers of Dylan songs did become ubiquitous, he was writing for himself. It’s no wonder that he was hailed as “the voice of his generation,” what with its double meaning.</p>
<p>Prior to Dylan, Minnesota’s greatest gift to popular music was probably <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=QS377709042J5.4413&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!100207~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Andrews+Sisters&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Andrews Sisters</a>. OK, if you’re under sixty, that name probably doesn’t mean much to you, but they were one of the biggest acts of the thirties and forties (I have no doubt that even younger readers are familiar with the song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” which was one of their numerous hits). Like The Andrews Sisters, Dylan was forced to leave the North Star State in order to seek success. For decades, record companies seemed consumed with the desire to discover “the next Dylan,” but surprisingly, they didn’t appear that interested in mining Minnesota for other musical acts. With just a few exceptions, like the Trashmen, who gave us the 1963 hit “Surfin’ Bird,” Minnesota remained out of the musical mainstream.</p>
<p>Things began changing quickly around 1980 due, in part, to the increasing affordability of quality recording equipment, which jumpstarted the do-it-yourself movement. Although a teenaged <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143KYK1057741.4431&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!134050~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Prince&amp;index=PZAUTH">Prince</a> recorded his first two albums in California in 1978 and 1979, he garnered enough clout to self-record his third album, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143777E1T985S.4439&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1266807~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Dirty+mind&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Dirty Mind</em></a>, at his own studio in Minneapolis in 1980. Although not as popular as his eponymously-titled previous disc, which had yielded his first Top 40 hit in “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (#11 in January 1980), <em>Dirty Mind</em> featured the wild mix of popular genres (funk, new wave, rock, and R&amp;B) and salacious lyrics that established Prince’s mature style. Soon, that style that would be branded The Minneapolis Sound. Prince’s popularity surged during the early eighties with the release of each new album, culminating in <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14G7771W69M63.4443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!859885~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Purple+rain+music+from+the+motion+picture+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Purple Rain</em></a>, the 1984 album and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14G7771W69M63.4443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1113588~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Purple+rain&amp;index=PALLTI">movie</a> that made him a superstar. Prince has remained one of music’s premier performers ever since. Not only has Prince favored Minneapolis-area studios (including his own Paisley Park) for a large portion of his recorded output, he also produced several other musical acts in the Twin Cities, including Vanity, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14G7771W69M63.4443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!917002~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Time+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Time</a>/<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1437771D112E1.4465&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!518645~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Day%2C+Morris&amp;index=PZAUTH">Morris Day</a>, and Sheila E.</p>
<p>Prince has charted several number one singles on the Billboard Top 40 chart, but he wasn’t the first Minnesota act to accomplish the feat – even Dylan came up short with just a pair of number two hits (“Like a Rolling Stone,” “Rainy Day Women #12 &amp; 35”) on his resume. That distinction actually goes to Lipps, Inc., whose name looks like it should be said “lips incorporated,” but is properly pronounced “lip sync,” as in the television practice that requires performers to mime to previously recorded tracks. Lipps, Inc. was created in 1979 by Minneapolis producer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Steven Greenberg. Their first album, <em>Mouth to Mouth</em>, debuted in November 1979. The first single, “Rock It,” stalled in the Hot 100 at #64, but their second single, “Funkytown,” became a smash! “Funkytown,” one of the last huge disco hits, spent four weeks in the top spot during the early summer of 1980 before going <img alt="The CD cover for &quot;The Best of The Jets.&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/The%20Jets.jpg" style="float:right; height:230px; margin:5px; width:232px" />on to top the charts in twenty-eight countries. Unfortunately for Lipps, Inc., none of their subsequent three albums generated so much as a Hot 100 hit (though they did place several more tunes in the top ten of the U.S. dance charts). After a trend of diminishing returns, they called it quits in 1985.</p>
<p>The same year that Lipps, Inc. folded, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14G7771W69M63.4443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!936224~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jets+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Jets</a>, another Minneapolis group specializing in a mix of pop, R&amp;B, and dance music (especially freestyle), came on the scene. The band consisted of the eight oldest siblings of the Wolfgramm family (seventeen kids in all), whose parents had come to the United States from the Kingdom of Tonga, in the southern Pacific. The Jets released four albums between 1985 and 1989 that produced fifteen singles, five of which landed in the top ten. Two of those, “Crush on You” and “You Got It All” climbed all the way to number three. Since originally disbanding in 1990, The Jets has reformed in various incarnations at different times, but has shifted from popular to gospel music.</p>
<p>The synthpop-electro-freestyle band <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14G7771W69M63.4443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1081621~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=18&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Information+Society+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Information Society</a> was formed at St. Paul’s Macalester College in 1982 and started hitting the dance music chart in 1986. Seven of their singles placed in the upper reaches of the dance chart between 1986 and 1991. Two of those also broke into the top ten of the Top 40 chart in 1988, including their signature song, the number three hit "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)" – notable for its use of dialogue samples from the original <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143777E1T985S.4439&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!974837~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Star+trek&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Star Trek</em></a> TV series. An on-again, off-again proposition, Information Society released its latest album as recently as 2014.</p>
<p>Not all of the Twins Cities artists who made a splash in the eighties can be classified as purveyors of The Minneapolis Sound or some close variant. Before the advent of alternative rock, there were a bunch of guys on the lower rungs of rock music hoping to be signed by major labels – they were called, uh… rock musicians. Eventually, someone proclaimed that they weren’t actually rock musicians, they were alternative artists. And that changed everything. OK, I’m half-joking, but from the beginnings of what would become alternative music in the late-seventies until the late-eighties, when the label would emerge as a recognized genre, the lower-rung rock guys had several labels applied to them: post-punk, indie, college, underground, and modern, as well as alternative. Among the hotbeds of this new sound were Athens, Georgia, Seattle, and the Twin Cities: Minneapolis/St. Paul.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143777E1T985S.4439&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!709746~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=10&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Replacements+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Replacements</a>, from Minneapolis, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143777E1T985S.4439&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!600125~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=12&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=H%C3%BCsker+D%C3%BC+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Hüsker Dü</a>, from St. Paul, both formed in 1979 and were key proto-alternative bands. The former group’s albums <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=HL37775W32665.4879&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1234194~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Let+it+be&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Let It Be</em></a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143777V10676K.4888&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1234961~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tim&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Tim</em></a>, and the latter’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1437YL4Q23150.4861&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1235189~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Zen+arcade&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Zen Arcade</em></a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=HL37775W32665.4879&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1030082~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=New+day+rising&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>New Day Rising</em></a> rank among the top discs of the eighties. Although both flirted with big-time success, neither achieved the level of sales that would keep them together long enough to enjoy the alternative boon that came with Nirvana’s breakout in 1991. Nevertheless, the Replacements’ <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143777P81Y8W8.4845&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!247884~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Westerberg%2C+Paul&amp;index=PZAUTH">Paul Westerberg</a> and Hüsker Dü’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=L4T777485133V.4848&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!149675~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mould%2C+Bob%2C+1960-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Bob Mould</a> (also with <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14J77I487Y997.4852&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!201733~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sugar+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Sugar</a> for two albums in the nineties) went on to lengthy solo careers. A third Twin Cities’ <img alt="The CD cover for The Replacements' album &quot;Let It Be.&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/The%20Replacements_1.jpg" style="float:right; height:250px; margin:5px; width:250px" />indie&nbsp;band, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143777V10676K.4888&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!149674~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Soul+Asylum+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Soul Asylum</a>, which formed in Minneapolis in 1983, had similar cult success during the eighties. In the early nineties, however, Soul Asylum rode the grunge wave to stardom with their album <em>Grave Dancer’s Union</em> (1992) and, to a lesser extent, its follow-up, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143777V10676K.4888&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!810629~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Let+your+dim+light+shine&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Let Your Dim Light Shine</em></a> (1995). Their peak-level of popularity was short-lived, but with singer-guitarist-songwriter Dave Pirner at the helm, Soul Asylum continues to record and perform.</p>
<p>While most of the key figures in the eighties blossoming of the Twin Cities music scene are still active, it’s safe to say that their best years are long behind them. Whatever special magic that suddenly occurred to make that scene so vibrant for a decade or a more just as quickly dissipated. Since the eighties, no Twin Cities music act – with the possible exception of R&amp;B band <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1K377755D81G2.4934&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!195056~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mint+Condition+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Mint Condition</a> – has flowered on the national stage to the same degree. That’s not to say that there hasn’t been notable activity there, as alternative rockers <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1437D756YK314.4939&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!266129~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Semisonic+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Semisonic</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1T377R5669U74.4946&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!560159~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Motion+City+Soundtrack+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Motion City Soundtrack</a>, as well as rap acts <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1T377R5669U74.4946&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!925030~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Doomtree+%28Rap+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Doomtree</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1T377R5669U74.4946&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!723852~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Brother+Ali&amp;index=PZAUTH">Brother Ali</a> attest, but for the Twin Cities, the eighties were just an exceptional period.</p>
<p>Click on the links above to take you to the catalog entry for any of those items. Or, find CDs that speak to your own particular area of musical interest at any of the six branches of the Des Moines Public Library!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/minneapolis" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Minneapolis</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/st-paul" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">St. Paul</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/minnesota" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Minnesota</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/alternative" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">alternative</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/minneapolis-sound" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Minneapolis Sound</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/university-iowa" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">University of Iowa</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hawkeye-marching-band" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hawkeye Marching Band</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Fri, 24 Jul 2015 20:25:21 +0000Kevin10843 at http://dmpl.orgA Healthy Fear of the Waterhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/healthy-fear-water
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/All%20Is%20Lost_0.jpg" width="271" height="385" alt="The DVD cover for the film All Is Lost." title="All Is Lost" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Once, in my early teens, I came close to drowning. It was the type of experience that you don’t forget.</p>
<p>The circumstances of the incident were simple enough, I was at Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca (a church camp near Solon in eastern Iowa) and involved in a game of chicken fighting in the swimming pond. The game started with one or two of the counselors and a couple of the older campers hoisting a few of the younger campers on their shoulders. A couple of my friends – like me, in their early teens – said, “Come on, let’s get in on this!” They quickly grabbed the best (that is, smallest) kids available and joined the fray. My eyes swept the beach and shallow water looking for a child small enough to lift onto my shoulders, but old enough to be involved in a chicken fight. It was slim pickings. I was a fairly competitive kid, but I also knew that I wasn’t particularly strong – I guess you could say that, even then, I had the muscles of a librarian. I made a second scan. The best possible choice was a boy just a few years younger than me. He was far taller than anyone I’d prefer to partner with for such shenanigans, but at least he was skinny. I considered my options: 1) be the smallest “vehicle” in the fight, but carrying the largest “attacker” or 2) choose to sit this one out and take some razzing from my friends for not taking part. I decided to suck it up and take a shot. I figured that the worst that could happen was the embarrassment that I’d feel from an early exit.</p>
<p>I asked the kid if he wanted in on the fight. He nodded in the affirmative. With great difficulty, much greater than I had actually anticipated, I got the boy up on my shoulders and waded toward the other teams. Actually, it was less of a wade and more of a wobble. I couldn’t wait to get to deeper water so that his body might become more buoyant, thus less heavy. As soon as I made it to chest-high water, we were engaged by a superior foe. As might be expected, it was one of the shortest skirmishes in chicken fight history. We were violently toppled, and I stumbled away from the shore, into even deeper water. I ended up on my knees, but found it extremely difficult to stand up, for I had a fairly large boy on my shoulders who had tightened his legs around my torso and wrapped his arms around my head!</p>
<p><em>At that point, something happened to me that I had previously believed only occurred in movies: my life flashed before my eyes. Not my whole life, mind you, just some key elements. It was a jumble of faces, things, even impressions. It couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds, but it galvanized me. It convinced me that I was in serious danger and needed to take quick action. And, it made me realize that there were a lot of reasons to live.</em></p>
<p>Somehow, I managed to regain my feet, but I was now in water that was well over my head. I was disoriented enough that I didn’t know which way to walk, and it’d been a while since my last breath. I decided to just start walking. Fortunately, I was facing the shore, and after several steps (though it seemed like an eternity), my mouth cleared the water and I began gasping for air. Meanwhile, that unnamed boy, whose face must have cleared the water almost immediately, was still clinging to me like a barnacle. Even when we were completely on the beach, he didn’t attempt to let go, so I pulled him off and threw him to the sand. Exhausted and still breathing heavily, I forced out these words: “for Christ’s sake (not good form considering this was a church camp), why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t swim?” He just laid on the sand and grinned at me. Truthfully, at that moment, I wanted to wrap my arms around <em>his</em> head, or more accurately, his neck, to see if I could remove that grin from his face. I said a few more things to the kid – especially about how he’d nearly drowned both of us – some of which may have been described as “colorful.” His grin never dissipated, but I got some serious stares from most of the younger kids around him. Still fairly oxygen deprived, I stumbled away to an empty spot on the beach, and fell on my back. Laying there, my chest still heaving, I realized that there were far worse things that could happen to you at the beach than being razzed by you friends for not joining in a game.</p>
<p>Even before that incident I think that I’d had a reasonable respect for the water, but that experience certainly reinforced it, and then some. It’s no wonder that inherently dangerous water-set situations still give me the creeps. The film industry, always conscious that audiences are attracted to what they fear, has used water effectively as an antagonist in scores of movies over the years. Creeping you out, yeah, that’s one of the things they like to do. It might involve shipwrecks, lifeboats/rafts, predatory sea animals, hurricanes, floods, or any combination of the above, as long as they can give it a terrifying spin. &nbsp;The following is a survey of some of the better examples.</p>
<p>The most infamous disaster at sea of all time is undoubtedly that of the RMS Titanic. That British passenger liner struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic during the early morning of April 15, 1912, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 of the 2,224 passengers and crew aboard. Numerous retellings of the horrific incident have appeared on both the big and small <img alt="The DVD cover for the film A Night to Remember." src="/sites/default/files/A%20Night%20to%20Remember_3.jpg" style="float:left; height:300px; margin:5px; width:210px" />screen, notably 1953’s <em>Titanic</em>, a glossy, often inaccurate, but still effective version shot on 20th Century Fox’s backlot; <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143B873913D22.102608&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1314373~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=A+night+to+remember&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>A Night to Remember</em></a>, the excellent 1958 adaptation of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=H436282U078W5.124445&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!829693~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=A+night+to+remember+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI">Walter Lord’s near-definitive 1955 book</a>; 1997’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1435K73I78J40.102620&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!830470~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Titanic&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Titanic</em></a>, the former all-time box office leader and Oscar mega-winner, and the four-part TV miniseries, also titled <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14358K4H6872U.102638&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!30932~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Titanic+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Titanic</em></a> (2012). Surprisingly, the other major ocean liner calamity of the time, the sinking of the RMS Lusitania by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915, has never received the same interest from filmmakers as has the Titanic. The killing of 1,198 (including 128 Americans) of the 1,962 persons aboard the British ship was one of the reasons that the then-isolationist United States was later drawn into World War I. Aside from a few documentaries and the 2007 telefilm <em>Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea</em>, the Lusitania has not received her due. That slight, however, may soon be rectified, as Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) currently lists two separate Lusitania projects as being in production for 2016 release. The sudden interest shouldn’t be surprising in light of the fact that superstar nonfiction author Erik Larson’s latest bestseller is <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=H436282U078W5.124445&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1594373~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Dead+wake+%3A+the+last+crossing+of+the+Lusitania+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania</em></a>.</p>
<p>On the fictional side of ocean liner disasters, we have 1972’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1435K7416H246.102653&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1083652~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Poseidon+adventure&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Poseidon Adventure</em></a>, based on Paul Gallico’s 1969 novel of the same name. Set on a soon-to-be salvaged luxury liner, early in the film, the SS Poseidon is capsized by a rogue wave caused by an earthquake on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. The rest of the movie follows the attempts of a small group of passengers to reach the hull, while the ocean rises through the sinking ship. Partially shot on the RMS Queen Mary, the story is said to have been inspired by that real-life ship’s own encounter with a rogue wave decades before. <em>The Poseidon Adventure</em> was hugely successful upon its release in mid-December 1972, going on to become the top money-earner of 1973! It spawned a far-less successful sequel, 1979’s <em>Beyond the Poseidon Adventure</em> (also based on a <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=H436282U078W5.124445&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!767610~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=10&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Beyond+the+Poseidon+adventure+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI">Gallico novel</a>), as well as two remakes: a 2005 telefilm, also titled <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14Q5M74216W56.102664&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1040805~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Poseidon+adventure&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Poseidon Adventure</em></a>, and a 2006 theatrical version, simply titled <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143T8S4J36604.102668&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1053412~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Poseidon&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Poseidon</em></a>.</p>
<p>Ocean liners aren’t the only seagoing vessels that face crisis situations. <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1435874EE499K.102676&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!897042~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Perfect+storm&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Perfect Storm</em></a>, a 2000 film adaptation of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14362C536CG45.124977&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!822705~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+perfect+storm+%3A+a+true+story+of+men+against+the+sea+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI">Sebastian Junger’s wildly successful 1997 nonfiction book</a>, recounts the fate of the six-member crew of the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat from Gloucester, Massachusetts caught in the titular cataclysm hundreds of miles offshore. The so-called Halloween Storm (sometimes also referred to as the No-Name Storm) – a combination nor’easter and hurricane that took place between October 28 and November 4, 1991 – set wave height records off the coast of New England and caused damage as far south as Puerto Rico. Despite considerable property losses, there were only thirteen reported fatalities. In <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14358743XC816.102682&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1458921~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=All+is+lost&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>All Is Lost</em></a> (2013), a fictional story written directly for the big screen, the captain of a small yacht on a one-man voyage has his seafaring skills and fortitude repeatedly tested after his vessel is struck by a loose shipping container in the Indian Ocean.</p>
<p>Some ocean-set dramas take place wholly, or largely, after a ship’s sinking, with the cast in a lifeboat. These include <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14B5874598JM7.102713&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1641908~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Lifeboat&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Lifeboat</em></a> (1944) and <em>Abandon Ship</em> (1957), both of which deal with the problem of limited space and/or limited rations. In 2012’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14B5874598JM7.102713&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!33991~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Life+of+Pi+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Life of Pi</em></a>, based on <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P36RH2966696.124589&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!905470~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Life+of+Pi+%3A+a+novel+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI">Yann Martel’s bestselling 2001 novel</a>, the trials faced by a young man during his 227 days in a lifeboat are somewhat alleviated by his own imagination. The two characters at the heart of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14B5874598JM7.102713&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!4235~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Open+water+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Open Water</em></a> (2003), on the other hand, find themselves treading water not because of a shipwreck, but because the scuba diving service they’d chartered leaves without picking them back up. If that isn’t bad enough, the couple is soon surrounded by sharks!</p>
<p>Speaking of sharks, let’s not forget 1975’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14B5874598JM7.102713&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!453~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jaws+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Jaws</em></a>, perhaps the first major summer release, at least in the way that we now define such things. Based on <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1P36RH2966696.124589&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!774669~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jaws.&amp;index=PALLTI">Peter Benchley’s equally popular 1974 novel</a> about a killer great white shark terrorizing a small resort town on the New England coast, <em>Jaws</em> was an absolute phenomenon. It was followed three years later by <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14B5874598JM7.102713&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!7771~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jaws+2+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Jaws 2</em></a>, as well as a further pair of even less successful sequels. The <em>Jaws</em> craze led to several copycat movies, including 1977’s <em>Orca</em>, about a killer whale, 1977’s <em>Tentacles</em>, about a killer octopus, 1978’s <em>Piranha</em>, about… well, you get the idea, the list goes on and on. A few of those low-budget, water-set gore fests may be good for cheap (really cheap) thrills, but unless you’re a fan of bad cinema, I’d skip movies of that ilk, except for the father of the genre: <em>Jaws</em>.</p>
<p>Although the majority of 2001’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14B5874598JM7.102713&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!17088~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=17&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cast+away+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Cast Away</em></a> takes on an uncharted Pacific island, the stranded engineer’s island tenure is bookended by harrowing scenes showing how he was marooned in the first place and his attempts to escape the remote and inhospitable rocky outcropping. Unlike many other properties (books/plays/films)&nbsp;that deal with island castaways – <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=*&amp;menu=search&amp;npp=10&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=profileID&amp;ri=&amp;term=robinson+crusoe&amp;index=PALLTI&amp;Submit=Go">Robinson Crusoe</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=*&amp;menu=search&amp;npp=10&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=profileID&amp;ri=&amp;term=swiss+family+robinson&amp;index=PALLTI&amp;Submit=Go">Swiss Family Robinson</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143D28F2P2506.124641&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1252345~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Male+and+female&amp;index=PALLTI">The Admirable Crichton</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1DT62X3310197.124653&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1131938~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+blue+lagoon&amp;index=PALLTI">The Blue Lagoon</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=*&amp;menu=search&amp;npp=10&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=profileID&amp;ri=&amp;term=lord+of+the+flies&amp;index=PALLTI&amp;Submit=Go">Lord of the Flies</a></em> – that move most of the drama to the interior of the island, in <em>Cast Away</em>, the ocean remains an omnipresent threat.</p>
<p>Very few films have dealt with catastrophic flooding, or should I say, very few that have done it well. Perhaps depicting a believable <img alt="The DVD cover of the film Lifeboat." src="/sites/default/files/Lifeboat.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:211px" />flood has long been beyond the means of most filmmakers/studios. A couple of pictures that achieved a surprising amount of realism in this regard, however, were separated by more than seven decades! <em>The Rains Came</em>, based on Louis Bromfield’s 1937 novel and produced in Hollywood’s banner year of 1939, is set in India during a particularly devastating monsoon season. <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14B5874598JM7.102713&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!34589~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+impossible+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Impossible</em></a> (2012) focuses on a family on a vacation in Thailand when the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck. That tsunami, with waves that reached 100 feet in height, killed 230,000 people in fourteen countries and went down in history as one of the world’s most lethal natural disasters.</p>
<p>So, a word to the wise. No matter what type of water activity you take part in this summer, be smart, be cautious, and be prepared (and don’t forget the sunblock!). If, however, you want some water thrills of the secondhand variety, checkout any of the aforementioned, linked titles at the Des Moines Public Library, where DVDs circulate for a week for a one dollar charge.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/shipwrecks" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">shipwrecks</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/lifeboats" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lifeboats</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hurricanes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hurricanes</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/tsunamis" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">tsunamis</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/floods" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">floods</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/drowning" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">drowning</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Thu, 02 Jul 2015 21:43:08 +0000Kevin10614 at http://dmpl.orgOutlaw Country: A Movement that Combined the Old with the Newhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/outlaw-country-movement-combined-old-new
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Wanted%20-%20The%20Outlaws.jpg" width="400" height="394" alt="The cover art for the album Wanted! The Outlaws." title="Wanted! The Outlaws" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>On January 12, 1976, RCA Victor released an album that changed the course of seventies and eighties country music. Surprisingly, the entire album consisted of eleven previously released tracks, but was neither “a best of” nor “greatest hits” album. Instead, the album defined the growing outlaw country movement, featuring four artists who were among those regarded as originators of the new style: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!122974~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=45&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jennings%2C+Waylon&amp;index=PZAUTH">Waylon Jennings</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!111149~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=52&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Nelson%2C+Willie%2C+1933-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Willie Nelson</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!122953~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=54&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Colter%2C+Jessi&amp;index=PZAUTH">Jessi Colter</a>, and Tompall Glaser. The album was titled <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1613663~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=35&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=WANTED%3A+THE+OUTLAWS+%28CD%29&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Wanted! The Outlaws</em></a> and not only did it reach the top spot on the country album charts, as well as an eye-opening number ten on the pop album charts, but it became the first country album ever to sell one million copies!</p>
<p>The album included two solo tracks for all four artists, but favored Jennings, who also appeared on two duets with Nelson and another with his wife, Colter. While Jennings, Nelson, and Glaser were all country music veterans, the album helped shine a light on the career of the still-rising Colter. Unfortunately for Glaser, his pair of tunes did little to establish himself as a solo artist in the outlaw movement, and his greatest fame remained as a member of the trio <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1104796~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=58&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tompall+%26+the+Glaser+Brothers.&amp;index=PZAUTH">Tompall and the Glaser Brothers</a>, both before and after his failed attempt to break out on this own. Despite the fact that all of the songs had previously seen the light of day, two of them – "Suspicious Minds" (a Jennings/Colter duet) and "Good Hearted Woman” (a former Jennings hit that wasn’t actually re-recorded, but “tweaked” by adding Nelson vocals and fabricated crowd noise) – became massive hits, thanks to the album.</p>
<p>Outlaw country arose as a reaction to what had been occurring in the genre over the previous decade. The dominant sound of country music during the mid-forties to mid-fifties was the rowdy sound of honky-tonk, popularized by the likes of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!135704~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=60&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tubb%2C+Ernest%2C+1914-1984&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ernest Tubb</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!100895~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=62&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Williams%2C+Hank%2C+1923-1953&amp;index=PZAUTH">Hank Williams</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!110197~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=64&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Frizzell%2C+Lefty%2C+1928-1975&amp;index=PZAUTH">Lefty Frizzell</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!201379~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=66&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Pierce%2C+Webb%2C+1921-1991&amp;index=PZAUTH">Webb Pierce</a>, Hank Locklin, and Faron Young. In the mid-to-late fifties, honky-tonk gave way to the robust sound of rockabilly, championed by <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!32024~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=71&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Presley%2C+Elvis%2C+1935-1977&amp;index=PZAUTH">Elvis Presley</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!37238~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=73&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cash%2C+Johnny&amp;index=PZAUTH">Johnny Cash</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!177632~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=75&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Perkins%2C+Carl%2C+1932-1998&amp;index=PZAUTH">Carl Perkins</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!81558~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=77&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Lewis%2C+Jerry+Lee&amp;index=PZAUTH">Jerry Lee Lewis</a>. Honky-tonk was a style that originated in Texas and Oklahoma, while rockabilly emerged from Memphis, Tennessee. Nevertheless, it was Nashville, Tennessee that – thanks, in part, to the continuing success of the Grand Ole Opry’s Saturday night stage show/radio broadcasts – had become the hub of country music recording. In the late fifties a new production style was developing in Nashville that was quickly christened “the Nashville sound.” The Nashville sound solidified the city as the focal point of country music recording.</p>
<p>The Nashville sound prettified honky-tonk by removing its signature instruments, the steel guitar and fiddle, then replacing them with intricate string arrangements and background vocal harmonies. It also pushed singers with polished voices, much like the crooners of mainstream fifties pop music, rather than the twangy, often unrefined vocals of the honky-tonk stars. <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!234745~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=83&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Arnold%2C+Eddy%2C+1918-2008&amp;index=PZAUTH">Eddy Arnold</a>, Skeeter Davis, Ferlin Husky, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!102353~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=90&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Reeves%2C+Jim&amp;index=PZAUTH">Jim Reeves</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!163896~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=92&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cline%2C+Patsy%2C+1932-1963&amp;index=PZAUTH">Patsy Cline</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!158110~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=94&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Price%2C+Ray%2C+1926-2013&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ray Price</a> were among the early stars of the style. The object of the change was to promote country music to areas outside the genre’s traditional southern and southwest regions. It worked. Country was soon making inroads in the north, including major industrial and commercial cities, as these Nashville-produced singles rose to the top of the country charts, some even crossing over to the pop charts. By the late-sixties, the Nashville sound had been redubbed “countrypolitan” and the biggest stars of the era – including <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!127365~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=96&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Pride%2C+Charley&amp;index=PZAUTH">Charley Pride</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!136338~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=100&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Wynette%2C+Tammy&amp;index=PZAUTH">Tammy Wynette</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!979550~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=102&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jones%2C+George%2C+1931-2013.&amp;index=PZAUTH">George Jones</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!152138~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=104&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Twitty%2C+Conway&amp;index=PZAUTH">Conway Twitty</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!18378~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=106&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Lynn%2C+Loretta&amp;index=PZAUTH">Loretta Lynn</a> – were all Nashville-produced acts.</p>
<p>Yet another country style emerged in the late-fifties: the Bakersfield sound. That style originated in Bakersfield, California, primarily through the efforts of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!181257~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=109&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Owens%2C+Buck%2C+1929-2006&amp;index=PZAUTH">Buck Owens</a>, and was born of the remnants of Western swing (the most popular style of country in the mid-thirties to late-forties), just as honky-tonk had been.&nbsp;Owens and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!90258~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=111&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Haggard%2C+Merle&amp;index=PZAUTH" style="line-height: 1.6em;">Merle&nbsp;</a><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14A327H030171.105443&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!90258~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=111&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Haggard%2C+Merle&amp;index=PZAUTH" style="line-height: 1.6em;">Haggard</a> were among the biggest stars of the period, but without leaving The Golden State for Nashville. The Bakersfield sound produced several other country <img alt="The cover of the Townes' Van Zandt album Live at The Old Qarter, Houston, Texas." src="/sites/default/files/Townes%20Van%20Zandt_0.jpg" style="float:left; height:275px; margin:5px; width:275px" />stars, but by the late-sixties and early-seventies it was morphing into the country rock of such California-based bands as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=LY3328445A390.107222&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!190197~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Flying+Burrito+Bros.&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Flying Burrito Brothers</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y433284486D70.107229&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278405~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Creedence+Clearwater+Revival+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Creedence Clearwater Revival</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y4X32U4512552.107232&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!189377~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Poco+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Poco</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1433P845A0A13.107242&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!87511~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Eagles+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Eagles</a>.</p>
<p>As the music emanating from Nashville became increasingly slick, country traditionalists sought the authenticity of older country styles, such as bluegrass, folk, gospel, and honky-tonk. The most popular of those was honky-tonk, with its barebones four-or five-member instrumental units, featuring singers who croaked blue-collar tunes through whisky-soaked throats. It was that style that was beginning to be reclaimed by the outlaw country movement of the early seventies, but with differences. Unlike traditional country, in which only a standup bass was allowed to provide rhythm, drums were a common addition to an outlaw unit, as was amplification. In addition, lyrical content was now freer, with songs about working men that now included references to drugs, binge drinking, and (God&nbsp;forbid) unrepentant fornication. Unquestionably, this style of country music also owed a debt to the concurrent rock genre. The heart of the outlaw movement, and from whence many of the musicians came, was Texas (centered on Austin), not Nashville, and they typically recorded their music in studios in the Lone Star state, and/or other southern or western facilities.</p>
<p>And then there was another aspect of the outlaws – appearance – that set them apart from the country establishment (though others, such as Cash, had already begun challenging the status quo in that regard). The look of a country star lad long been the wardrobe of a dude cowboy – a tailored (often ornate) suit, a pressed shirt, a tie or bolo, dress shoes, and a fresh cowboy hat (if worn), always clean shaven and with a dab of Brylcreem to keep every hair in place. The outlaws, however, went in a very different direction. An outlaw wore an ordinary work shirt (with rolled-up sleeves and an open neck), plain blue jeans, a denim jacket or leather vest, well-worn boots, and a sweat-soaked, beat-up cowboy hat (if worn), while, almost to a man, sported a full beard and long, often unkempt, hair. It was the standard garb of a young working man, not the attire of someone taking the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.</p>
<p>There are many who lay claim to having been responsible for naming the outlaw movement. The fact is, however, that merely using the word at some point during the late sixties or early seventies does not mean that the movement took its name from that instance. It’s safe to say that the movement’s name was derived from the song "Ladies Love Outlaws" (written by Lee Clayton), which was the title song of a 1972 album by Jennings, the key figure in the movement. Whether or not Jennings saw his then-recent defection from Nashville as a clarion call to other artists to do the same is anyone’s guess. Nevertheless, he soon found himself the spearhead of a movement that wasn’t just about the style of the music, but also about artist’s rights, for which fellow outlaw Tompall Glaser had been a trendsetter.</p>
<p>In addition to Jennings and Nelson, other important figures of the outlaw movement included <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=J43328D68678H.107262&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!575305~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Coe%2C+David+Allan&amp;index=PZAUTH">David Allan Coe</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143E2V4719269.107264&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=walker+jerry+jeff&amp;x=11&amp;y=15&amp;aspect=subtab38">Jerry Jeff Walker</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=*&amp;menu=search&amp;npp=10&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=profileID&amp;ri=&amp;term=van+zandt%2C+townes&amp;index=.GW&amp;Submit=Go">Townes Van Zandt</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1M3328A83491V.107287&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!198461~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Shaver%2C+Billy+Joe&amp;index=PZAUTH">Billy Joe Shaver</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!190446~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Murphey%2C+Michael+Martin%2C+1945-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Michael Martin Murphey</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!212963~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Clark%2C+Guy&amp;index=PZAUTH">Guy Clark</a>, and Gary Stewart. Incidentally, Jennings, Nelson, Van Zandt, Shaver, Murphey, and Clark were all Texas born. The primary period of popularity for outlaw country was the mid-seventies to mid-eighties, though some stars continued on in the style for decades to come. Several other country performers, most notably Cash, Haggard, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!190443~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Kristofferson%2C+Kris&amp;index=PZAUTH">Kris Kristofferson</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!520589~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Paycheck%2C+Johnny&amp;index=PZAUTH">Johnny Paycheck</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!45374~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Williams%2C+Hank%2C+Jr.%2C+1949-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Hank Williams, Jr.</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192832~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Earle%2C+Steve&amp;index=PZAUTH">Steve Earle</a>, existed on the fringes of the outlaw movement, or at times were welcomed as full members.</p>
<p>Although outlaw country was primarily the domain of men, a few females also earned the right to be called outlaws. Besides Colter, there was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!189998~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tucker%2C+Tanya&amp;index=PZAUTH">Tanya Tucker</a>, Sammi Smith, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!127287~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=15&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Harris%2C+Emmylou&amp;index=PZAUTH">Emmylou Harris</a>. Similar to their male counterparts, these women pushed the limits of acceptable lyrical content, instrumental backing, and appropriate <img alt="The cover of the Tanya Tucker album TNT." src="/sites/default/files/Tanya%20Tucker.jpg" style="float:right; height:275px; margin:5px; width:275px" />standards of dress. Like Nelson, Harris remains a highly productive singer-songwriter many decades into her career.</p>
<p>As popular as many of the outlaw artists were, they didn’t prevent mainline country’s continuing slide toward pop, as personified by the likes of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!186402~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=17&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Campbell%2C+Glen%2C+1936-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Glen Campbell</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!60294~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=19&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Parton%2C+Dolly&amp;index=PZAUTH">Dolly Parton</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!84194~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=21&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Rogers%2C+Kenny&amp;index=PZAUTH">Kenny Rogers</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143328B3627AW.107207&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!121892~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mandrell%2C+Barbara&amp;index=PZAUTH">Barbara Mandrell</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!163034~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=23&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Milsap%2C+Ronnie&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ronnie Milsap</a>, and the group <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!136529~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=25&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Alabama+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Alabama</a>, in the seventies and eighties. Outlaw country, however, probably set the stage for the next major development in country music: the neotraditionalist movement, which began in the mid-eighties. The neotraditionalists – <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!181877~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=27&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Travis%2C+Randy&amp;index=PZAUTH">Randy Travis</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193693~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=29&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jackson%2C+Alan%2C+1958-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Alan Jackson</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192082~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=31&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Skaggs%2C+Ricky&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ricky Skaggs</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193228~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=33&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Loveless%2C+Patti&amp;index=PZAUTH">Patty Loveless</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193010~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=36&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Strait%2C+George%2C+1952-&amp;index=PZAUTH">George Strait</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!194976~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=38&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tritt%2C+Travis&amp;index=PZAUTH">Travis Tritt</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1WL328489362D.107295&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!167971~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=40&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Judds+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Judds</a>, to name a few – brought honky-tonk back to the forefront of Nashville-based country, but with fresh-scrubbed faces and clean duds. Although country music continues its periodic flirtations with pop, honky-tonk remains the signature sound of country music. Perhaps that’s the greatest legacy of the outlaws, helping honky-tonk regain its preeminent place in country.</p>
<p>The Des Moines Public Library has an excellent selection of country music albums. Click on any link above to be taken to that artist’s holdings. Or, come to your favorite branch and browse the CD bins. You’re sure to find something interesting to try at <em>your</em> library!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/outlaw" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">outlaw</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/country" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">country</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/honky-tonk" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">honky-tonk</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/western-swing" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">western swing</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/bakersfield-sound" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Bakersfield sound</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/nashville-sound" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nashville sound</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/countrypolitan" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">countrypolitan</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/rockabilly" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">rockabilly</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/grand-old-opry" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Grand Old Opry</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Tue, 02 Jun 2015 20:00:43 +0000Kevin10230 at http://dmpl.orgTime Travel: Dangerous for Movie Characters, but Fun for Us!http://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/time-travel-dangerous-movie-characters-fun-us
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Groundhog%20Day.jpg" width="277" height="400" alt="The DVD cover for the film Groundhog Day." title="Groundhog Day" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>A few weeks ago, while writing a previous <a href="http://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/%E2%80%9Clisten-and-understand-terminator-out-there-and-it-absolutely-will-not-stop-ever#.VVpFAiPF8bM"><em>Media Musings</em> piece on <em>The Terminator</em></a>, I thought a little about the time travel aspect of that movie. If I had to classify that film by genre, I might say that is was first an action flick and second a sci-fi pic. I guess that my third designation for it would be time travel. And yet, the time travel feature is absolutely crucial to the plot. In <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!520~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Terminator+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Terminator</em></a>, however, soon after the two figures from the future arrive in then-present day Los Angeles, the time travel facet takes a backseat to the driving impact of the action scenes. It still looms in the background of the movie, even coming to the forefront in a few instances, but there are bigger concerns for the protagonists to deal with (like staying alive) to take any too much time dwelling on their roles in possible future events. Nevertheless, I really like that element of the plot – the underlying structuring device, really – and it made me think further about time travel as a plot device in other films.</p>
<p>Before I go any further, I want to go on the record as stating that I don’t believe that time travel is possible. Hmmm, that sounds a bit too cocksure – maybe I need to step back from that statement a little. OK, how’s this? I have grave doubts about the likelihood of time travel, but hold open the merest chance of its existence. Is that too wishy-washy? What can I say? I’m no scientist, I was never any good at theoretical math, and I’m risk averse. Sure, some brain trust at MIT, Cal Tech, or other such institution that would have considered my making a campus visit an affront to their good name, may someday create a time machine, but I fear the possible negative ramifications more than I look forward to any expected benefits. Like I said, I’m risk averse. Ever since reading Ray Bradbury’s renowned short story “A Sound of Thunder” (the genesis for the term “the butterfly effect”) as a teen, I’ve been aware of the frightening flipside of time travel. Even so, I enjoy a well-plotted drama that incorporates time travel in the mix.</p>
<p>Invariably, each time a movie employs time travel as a narrative device, it brings out the geeks who spend hours writing message board fodder (as well as the ensuing back and forth arguments) laying out their cases for the ever-popular “gaps in logic” or “plot holes” that occur in various scenes throughout the film. Really? Seriously? Of course those things couldn’t have happened in any of those scenes, or, for that matter, in any of those films! Why? Because time travel isn’t actually a thing! It doesn’t exist! Logic can’t be expected to hold sway in individual scenes if the entire plot hinges on something that (to this point, anyway) can’t logically happen. All narratives rely, to a degree, on a suspension of disbelief. As for time travel plots, they demand an even greater degree of that requirement. Granted, some filmmaking attempts are going to be better than others, but to get your shorts in a bunch over a fictitious storytelling approach strikes me as absurd. There’s no measuring stick by which to test logic in what is, essentially, an illogical situation. After all, with so many different writers making up laws to structure their own time travel tales, there can’t be any overriding hard and fast rules governing time travel scenarios. Consequently, the only way to truly enjoy a time travel movie is to leave a fair share of logic at the door and just let it wash over you. If the result is that you were entertained, then it has succeeded – just accept the fact that you may question how certain scenes could have played out.</p>
<p>With the above in mind, I’ve chosen ten films (listed chronologically)&nbsp;that play with the possibility of time travel in an inventive, clever, and/or exceptional fashion. Yeah, the geeks can probably find any number of “gaps in logic” or “plot holes” in each of them, but all of the movies succeeded in entertaining me and, on that basis, I recommend them to you. In the opening paragraph, I touched on how time travel needn’t be the overriding force of a narrative to still play a vital role in its structure. In fact, time travel can be employed in any number of ways. At times it’s achieved through mechanical means, at other times it occurs as a force of the mind, while in a few cases, no explanation is provided whatsoever. A recent spate of new time travel movies indicate ever expanding approaches. One of the most surprising things about time travel plots is that they’re often in the service of genres other than the seemingly most likely, science fiction. So, it should come as no surprise that my list contains comedies, romances, and dramas of various stripes. Among them are a few of my all-time favorite films!</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!7418~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=22&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Time+after+time+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Time After Time</em></a> (1979) – What if novelist H.G, Wells (<em>War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The Time Machine</em>) had actually created a machine capable of transporting people through time? What if Jack the Ripper managed to escape Victorian London through said time machine? What if Wells followed him to present-day San Francisco in order to bring him to justice? That’s essentially the set-up of filmmaker Nicholas Meyer’s thriller starring Malcom McDowell as Wells and David Warner as the sinister serial killer. Also on hand is Mary Steenburgen as a San Fran bank teller who becomes involved with McDowell; the sweet chemistry between those two is what elevates this film to the next level.</p>
<p><em>The Terminator</em> (1984) – If you’ve read my previous piece on <em>The Terminator</em>, then you know that this is an obvious choice for me. Between that piece and what I wrote above, I think that I’ve already written enough on that film, so let’s just move on.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!1137~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=24&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Back+to+the+future.&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Back to the Future</em></a> (1985) – The first film in the trilogy is easily the best of the lot. Michael J. Fox has thrived on the small screen, but his attempts to become a big screen star almost always fell short. That wasn’t the case here, where his charming performance as Marty McFly was superbly supported by three knockout comedic turns by Christopher Lloyd (as Dr. Emmett Brown), Crispin Glover (George McFly), and Thomas F. Wilson (Biff Tannen), plus an atypically smoldering Lea Thompson, <em>as his mother</em>?! The whole movie is amusing, but it contains a scene that made me laugh so hard that I literally slid out of my chair, one of only a handful of times that has happened to me in my entire movie-going life!</p>
<p><em><img alt="The DVD cover for Army of Darkness." src="/sites/default/files/Army%20of%20Darkness_1.jpg" style="float:left; height:300px; margin:5px; width:210px" /><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!23967~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=26&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Army+of+darkness+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Army of Darkness</a></em> (1992) – The final chapter in director Sam Raimi’s original <em>Evil Dead</em> trilogy, all starring Bruce “The Chin” Campbell, was heavier on the action, time travel, and comedy elements than on the horror that clearly structured the first two films. In it, a vortex sucks Campbell’s Ash Williams back to 1300 C.E. England, where he joins Lord Arthur’s knights in fighting the evil deadites. Fortunately, he arrives in his 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, with a modern-day rifle and a chainsaw. Yes, it’s big dumb fun!</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!915149~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=28&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Groundhog+Day&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Groundhog Day</em></a> (1993) – I don’t know if I’ve ever encountered a movie so polarizing as <em>Groundhog Day</em>! Several people have told me that it’s their absolute favorite movie, while others have claimed that it’s the stupidest movie that they’ve ever seen. For me, it’s easily in my top twenty-five, but it’s obviously a question of taste. Bill Murray stars as a self-centered weatherman sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day ceremony in Punxsutawney, PA. After staying the night in town, he awakens to find himself reliving the previous day. In fact, he’s in a loop in which he keeps reliving that same day. Murray employs various strategies to free himself from that fate, many of which are absolutely hilarious. There’s also a developing love story between Murray and Andie MacDowell that gives the gags a place to go.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!964524~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=30&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+butterfly+effect&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Butterfly Effect </em></a>(2004) – Prior to seeing this film, I was under the impression that Iowa’s own Ashton Kutcher was incapable of delivering a believable performance. Well, with this film, they got <em>one</em> out of him anyway. In all seriousness, this is&nbsp;a very well-plotted film, with Kutcher playing a college student who had blackouts as a child, but is now able to travel back in time to try to “fix” things during those blackout periods. The meaning behind the title, of course, is the unwanted, significant repercussions that occur in the present when one changes even small events in the past. One of the biggest gripes about Hollywood movies is that they all seem to conclude the same way, with an unmemorable (saw that coming) happy ending. While <em>The Butterfly Effect</em> doesn’t have an unhappy ending, it is bittersweet, which does indeed make it thought provoking, and memorable.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1279535~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=32&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Midnight+in+Paris&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Midnight in Paris</em></a> (2011) – Unlike his first two decades as a filmmaker, when his track record was amazingly consistent, Woody Allen’s output over the past quarter century has been pretty hit or miss. A recent hit was <em>Midnight in Paris</em>, in which Owen Wilson is the stand-in for the too-old-for-the-role Allen. Wilson is a present-day screenwriter vacationing with his fiancée and her family in the city of light. During late-night walks through the city, he finds himself transported back to 1920’s Paris, an era for which he has a particular fondness. His romantic soul, of course, is touched by these nightly trips, during which he meets and interacts with the famous writers, artists, and composers of the day, causing him to reassess the course of his own present-day career and romantic entanglement.</p>
<p><em><img alt="The DVD cover for Looper." src="/sites/default/files/Looper.jpg" style="float:left; height:300px; margin:5px; width:210px" /><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1339595~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=34&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Looper&amp;index=PALLTI">Looper</a></em> (2012) – Primarily set in 2044, after an economic collapse that has resulted in criminal gangs controlling much of society, <em>Looper</em> is the story of Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an assassin for the mob. His job is simple, his targets are delivered directly to him and he merely pulls the trigger and disposes of the body. The people selected for execution, however, are sent back to him from 2074, where the mob secretly and illegally uses time travel to get rid of its “problems.” Joe’s life goes off the tracks when an older version of himself (Bruce Willis) gets sent back for elimination. That’s just the tip of the iceberg in this heavily plotted, wild ride back and forth through the next thirty years. Writer-director Rian Johnson previously made the excellent <em>Brick</em> and has already been signed to make Star Wars VIII!</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1467100~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=36&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=About+time&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>About Time</em></a> (2013) – On the verge of moving to London to study law, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) is told by his father that the men in the family have the ability to travel through time. The catch is that they can’t change historical events, only things that are parts of their own lives. With this knowledge, the heretofore shy and awkward young man, looks forward to having better luck with women, as each time he makes a mistake, he’ll simply go back the time necessary to correct it. He then meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), a young American staying in London, and sets about winning her over. Although Tim becomes adept at his new power, he also learns (try as he might) that he can’t use it to make everyone around him happy. This is a fairly low-key, but thoroughly charming film with a very valuable message.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1431980I807BN.73309&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1548746~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=38&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Edge+of+tomorrow&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Edge of Tomorrow</em></a> (2014) – Due to his strident Scientology beliefs, Tom Cruise is a lightning rod for criticism. Many moviegoers refuse to watch his movies, which is too bad, because despite what he does or says in his personal life, his movies are usually very good. Besides, he’s just one person providing artistic input into projects that often require the talents of hundreds, if not thousands of people. In <em>Edge of Tomorrow</em>, Cruise stars as a military officer trying to turn the tide on an invasion force of alien fighters, but alien fighters who can keep resetting time and, thus, figure out what works in their war against humankind. Things get interesting when Cruise somehow stumbles upon this ability himself and begins his own version of <em>Groundhog Day</em>, but set in a war zone.</p>
<p>All of these time travel films (and many others) are available at the Des Moines Public Library. So take some time and travel to your nearest branch to pick out a few exemplary titles!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/time-travel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">time travel</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Mon, 18 May 2015 20:20:33 +0000Kevin10147 at http://dmpl.orgCollege Rock… and the Context of 1980s College Radio That Created Ithttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/college-rock%E2%80%A6-and-context-1980s-college-radio-created-it
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/B-52s.jpg" width="398" height="397" alt="Cover of the B-52&#039;s self-titled debut album." title="The B-52&#039;s" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>What do you call music that has been lumped together, but isn’t unified by similar rhythms, instrumentation, subject matter, or geographic origin? Back in the eighties to early-nineties, we called it college rock. I don’t know if there’s ever been a so-called music genre with as little cohesion as that of college rock, which nevertheless seemed a perfectly valid descriptor at the time.</p>
<p>College rock appears to have been born of a desire by college radio programmers to set their stations apart from the popular commercial stations of the day. That impulse was nothing new to college radio. Back in the late sixties and early seventies, when AM was still the unquestioned god of radio broadcasting, FM was its bastard stepchild. Low-watt, low-budget, low-market share FM stations existed on the periphery of big-city radio rosters and, importantly, in college towns dotting the nation. Their low status meant that programmers had nearly unlimited freedom in creating their playlists – everything was on the table. Programmers might select fringe artists, mix multiple genres, or play an entire side from a favorite album, as playlist continuity wasn’t an issue.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, certain artists became playlist regulars. Bands such as Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, The Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, REO Speedwagon, and Genesis, which at the time, anyway, were still considered underground or counterculture, were perfect playlist options for college radio programmers. Those bands released few, if any, singles to AM radio, but their albums began ringing up huge sales, thanks in large part to their play on FM stations.</p>
<p>Huge sales, of course, meant that FM suddenly became important. By the mid-seventies, it no longer had the freewheeling, outlaw status that it’d had just years before. Station owners in big markets started shifting some of their attention away from their cash-cow AM stations and beefing up their FM stations, not just pouring in more money, but exercising greater control. Consequently, many of the aforementioned artists were brought into the mainstream (joined by the likes of Aerosmith, Journey, Kansas, Foreigner, Queen, Eagles, and ELO) as the primary programming format for FM became album oriented rock, or AOR. The result was that programming on FM stations became more standardized, more clearly based on what ratings numbers showed was likely profitable. Commercial FM stations became increasingly homogenous, cutting a very narrow slice of the total musical pie. And, as the popularity of FM rose, it also started taking on some of the characteristics of AM. For instance, though FM playlists still included albums cuts, they also played singles, as these “FM artists” broke onto AM.</p>
<p>The upshot of this rapid change among commercial FM stations, was a reaction by college FM stations. This is when FM radio suffered its great divide. Unwilling to play, “safe,” popular music for fear of losing their integrity, college radio programmers were forced to seek out other styles of music that still had shock value, meaningful lyrics, and/or relevancy to their young audience. The most potent alternative to the music played on commercial radio was punk. AM radio absolutely wouldn’t touch it, while commercial FM wasn’t much interested, either. Despite valiant attempts by college radio stations to push punk, it never caught on in a big way here, unlike what had occurred in the UK. Perhaps American college students just weren’t angry enough to embrace it fully. The Vietnam War was over, the Watergate scandal was old news, and the various rights movements, which had made significant gains, were now stalled. Frankly, college campuses – after a decade of discontent – were taking a breather.</p>
<p>As many of the late-seventies punk artists morphed into new wave acts, college radio quickly followed the trend. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before new wave blew up and was a major player on commercial radio. Once again, the question of popularity versus <img alt="The cover art for The Cure album Disintegration." src="/sites/default/files/The%20Cure_0.jpg" style="float:right; height:225px; margin:5px; width:225px" />integrity reared its ugly head and college radio was stuck looking for an identity it could call its own.</p>
<p>College radio finally seemed to find its footing again in the early-to-mid-eighties. Instead of supporting unknown bands signed to major labels that might emerge from the semi-obscurity of college stations to the superstardom of big-time radio and TV in the blink of an eye, college radio programmers began championing bands on independent labels. Although the term indie wouldn’t become popular for some years to come, this was really the start of the indie movement.</p>
<p>To be clear, college radio was in no way confined to American indie bands during this period. As had been the case ever since the British blues boom of the late sixties, college radio stations had devoted considerable airtime to British and, increasingly, European acts. Various other genres outside of the rock umbrella received interest, as well, though often in one- or two-hour shows dedicated to a particular style on a daily or weekly only basis.</p>
<p>While mainstream radio was playing Madonna, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, Bon Jovi, Hall &amp; Oates, Prince, and Lionel Ritchie during the period, college stations were playing what became known as college rock. What I stated in the opening paragraph is basically true: college rock had no major defining characteristic, other than the obvious: if a song or artist was played almost exclusively on college stations, then it was college rock. That said, there were some commonalities.</p>
<p>Produced by small independents, college rock tended to be low-fi, with rudimentary instrumentation. The barebones instrumentation put jangly guitars back at the center of the mix, while synthesizers (the primary tool used during the decade to smooth out rock’s rough edges) were nowhere to be found (except for a few of the European artists). At a time when pristine production had already become the rule among the majors (even the output of hair-metal bands was pretty sterile), this ramshackle indie sound was often referred to as roots music – though that was likely due more to necessity than by intention. Melody, which had often taken a backseat to instrumental expertise in several rock subgenres of the seventies, was also brought back to the fore. That said, such diverse acts as The Cramps, Bauhaus, Ministry, Talking Heads, Galaxie 500, Black Flag, and XTC were all said to inhabit college rock!</p>
<p>There are dozens upon dozens of artists that were once classified as being college rock. Some, like U2 and R.E.M., moved on to greater fame as mainstream artists, but most remained more mysterious or cultish. The following list includes a few of the bands that were among the most important in the sub-genre – those who managed to sell a lot of albums and fill concert venues, but seldom, if ever, got the high-profile treatment accorded to artists signed to the major labels.</p>
<p>The B-52's – Home base: Athens, GA; Predominant style: Dance rock; Major albums: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143040668M22C.24958&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!864057~!4&amp;ri=2&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=B-52%27s+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2"><em>The B-52s</em></a> (1979), Wild Planet (1980), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1E3LQ09535811.25242&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1498051~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cosmic+thing&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Cosmic Thing</em></a> (1989)</p>
<p>Cocteau Twins – Home base: Grangemouth, Scotland; Predominant style: Dream Pop; Major albums: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=A43040N827578.24972&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1603371~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=HEAD+OVER+HEELS+%28CD%29&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Head Over Heels</em></a> (1983), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=J4J04068648A1.24984&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!190258~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cocteau+Twins+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH"><em>Treasure</em></a> (1984), <em>Victorialand</em> (1986)</p>
<p>The Cure&nbsp;– Home base: Crawley, England; Predominant style: Goth rock; Major albums: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1E3LQ09535811.25242&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1237345~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+head+on+the+door&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Head on the Door</em></a> (1985), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14RU4099Q4517.25287&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1460754~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Kiss+me+kiss+me+kiss+me&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Kiss Me&nbsp;Kiss Me&nbsp;Kiss Me</em></a> (1987), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1M304K023690V.25313&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1233968~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Disintegration&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Disintegration</em></a>&nbsp;(1989)</p>
<p>Hüsker Dü – Home base: Minneapolis; Predominant style: Punk-pop; Major albums: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143041DQ22T58.25319&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1235189~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Zen+arcade&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Zen Arcade</em></a> (1984), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143041DQ22T58.25319&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1030082~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=New+day+rising&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>New Day Rising</em></a> (1985), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143041DQ22T58.25319&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1494501~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Warehouse+songs+and+stories+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Warehouse: Songs and Stories</em></a> (1987)</p>
<p>The Jesus &amp; Mary Chain – Home base: Glasgow, Scotland; Predominant style: Post-punk; Major albums: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143041DQ22T58.25319&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1234456~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Psychocandy&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Psychocandy</em></a> (1985), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1430407201XGV.25018&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1602064~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=DARKLANDS+%28CD%29&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Darklands</em></a> (1987), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1430407201XGV.25018&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1602179~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=HONEY%27S+DEAD+%28CD%29&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Honey’s Dead</em></a> (1992)</p>
<p>Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Home base: Melbourne, Australia; Predominant style: Post-punk; Major albums: <em>From Her to Eternity</em> (1984), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14304L8I58P86.25100&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1602371~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=TENDER+PREY+%28CD%29&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Tender Prey</em></a> (1988), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1J30Y081956O4.25103&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1399517~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+good+son&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Good Son</em></a> (1990)</p>
<p>Pixies – Home base: Boston; Predominant style: Pop-rock; Major albums: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1430V0R2I5990.25110&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!983439~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Surfer+Rosa&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Surfer Rosa</em></a> (1988), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=ISK0408274814.25118&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!983440~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Doolittle&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Doolittle</em></a> (1989), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14304K8332Q9P.25126&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1009564~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Bossanova&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Bossanova</em></a> (1990)</p>
<p><img alt="The album cover for The Replacements' Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash." src="/sites/default/files/The%20Replacements.jpg" style="float:right; height:225px; margin:5px; width:225px" />The Replacements –&nbsp;Home base: Minneapolis; Predominant style: Jangle pop; Major albums: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=D43D40838K305.25132&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1497999~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sorry+ma%2C+forgot+to+take+out+the+trash&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash</em></a> (1981), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1430408Y30I7L.25142&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1234194~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Let+it+be&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Let It Be</em></a> (1984), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1430408537R8X.25144&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1234961~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tim&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Tim</em></a>&nbsp;(1985)</p>
<p>The Smiths – Home base: Manchester, England; Predominant style: Pop-rock; Major albums: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=A43K408M70136.25153&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1234868~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Smiths&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Smiths</em></a> (1984), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14B04HL772069.25169&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1399736~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Meat+is+murder&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Meat Is Murder</em></a> (1985), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143Q408W3427B.25186&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1234490~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Queen+is+dead&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Queen Is Dead</em></a>&nbsp;(1986), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1L304088U48U0.25192&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1234909~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Strangeways%2C+here+we+come&amp;index=PALLTI">Strangeways, Here We Come</a> (1987)</p>
<p>Sonic Youth – Home base: New York City; Predominant style: Noise rock; Major albums: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1U30W0895X086.25195&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!642336~!2&amp;ri=3&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=evol&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3"><em>EVOL</em></a> (1986), <em>Sister</em> (1987), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=V43040923G85B.25216&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!983424~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Daydream+nation&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Daydream Nation</em></a>&nbsp;(1988), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=R430409V64S85.25218&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!983425~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Goo&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Goo</em></a> (1990)</p>
<p>At this point, you may be asking “why did college rock disappear?” As college rock began coalescing into a more specific sound, it was re-branded “modern rock” by Billboard magazine, and slightly later as “alternative rock,” which is still the most common descriptor for rock music that isn’t considered “classic.” Then something else happened that fully ended the era of college rock. In 1991, Nirvana released its second album, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=143R409U01479.25222&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!878179~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Nevermind&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Nevermind</em></a>, to startling success. Soon, any indie band that could put three chords together was being signed to a major label, while commercial FM began playing bands that it had previously ignored. In the process, college radio lost much of its playlist. In addition, the ever-growing popularity of, first, Walkman-type cassette players and, later, iPod-type digital players, allowed young listeners to become their own music programmers. College radio stations, consequently, took an audience hit that has only been further eroded by other emerging technologies. Nowadays, many college radio stations don’t have the luxury to play obscure or rising artists in the way they once did. In order to remain financially afloat, they have to play acts that will produce an acceptable ratings share.</p>
<p>College rock arose under certain ideal conditions and circumstances, then died as those conditions and circumstances suddenly changed. Now, college rock is just an anachronistic term used to describe the outlier artists of an era, rather than a particular sound. Oh, but weren’t we all richer for it!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/college-rock" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college rock</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/college-radio" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college radio</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">music</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/indie" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">indie</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/alternative" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">alternative</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Thu, 30 Apr 2015 14:23:27 +0000Kevin9937 at http://dmpl.org“Listen, and Understand. That Terminator Is Out There... And It Absolutely Will Not Stop, Ever, until You Are Dead!"http://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/%E2%80%9Clisten-and-understand-terminator-out-there-and-it-absolutely-will-not-stop-ever
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/terminator.jpg" width="285" height="348" alt="Cover art for the DVD of The Terminator." title="The Terminator." /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Back in late 1984, when I was in the army, several guys in my battalion – knowing that I was a serious movie buff – recommended that I see <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=142782HD324H3.53433&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!894811~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Terminator&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Terminator</em></a>. “Really, <em>The Terminator</em>,” I said, “that sci-fi flick with Arnold Schwarzenegger… are you kidding?” Each one would assure me that, no, he was dead serious. The consensus was that <em>The Terminator</em> was one of the best movies they had seen in a while. Now there were plenty of good reasons for my skepticism, given other Schwarzenegger films. For instance, there was <em>The Villain</em>, the 1979 unfunny western spoof; <em>The Jayne Mansfield Story</em>, the 1980 telefilm bio that got few of the facts straight; and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=142782HD324H3.53433&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!19591~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Conan+the+destroyer.&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Conan the Destroyer</em></a>, the 1984 sequel to the slightly less ridiculous 1982 sword and sandal movie <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=142782HD324H3.53433&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!19591~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Conan+the+destroyer.&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Conan the Barbarian</em></a>. Those films were pretty dreadful, with a leading man possessing an Austrian accent as thick as his steroid-enhanced pecs were large. Schwarzenegger never evolved into a particularly good actor, but he was definitely better in his later films. I would say that it wasn’t until he started to exhibit a sense of humor in some of his roles (especially of the self-deprecating variety) that he really became a tolerable presence on screen, but he wasn’t quite there in 1984.</p>
<p>Truly, I couldn’t imagine that Schwarzenegger could star in a worthwhile film. And who was this James Cameron guy who had directed it? What’d he ever done? As a result, I didn’t take those recommendations very seriously. After all, some were coming from guys who had enthusiastically endorsed the latest Chuck Norris release. No, I was standing firm. The producers of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie weren’t going to get any of my money! And then a good friend of mine, whose taste in films I respected, jumped on the bandwagon and told me how I really needed to take in <em>The Terminator</em>. I began to waver. Still, I held out for another week or two. By sometime in not-so-early 1985, the movie that had originally opened on October 26 in twenty or more Washington, DC-area theaters was down to playing in just three. As I didn’t own a car, the two far-flung suburban Virginia theaters weren’t really options. It was, however, still playing in a new multiplex called The Foundry 7 Theaters in the western section of DC known as Georgetown.</p>
<p>I finally gave in and decided to see the movie, cajoling a friend to join me. Going to The Foundry required about a forty-five minute walk from Fort Myer, through Rosslyn, Virginia, across the Potomac River via the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge, and onto M Street, which would take us into the heart of the Georgetown business district. The Foundry was aptly named; the century-old stone and brick building that now housed the seven-screen theater had started life as a metal foundry. The auditoriums were squeezed into cobbled up spaces. A few were relatively large, while the rest were quite tiny, though all seemed to suffer to a degree from some odd dimensions. Unfortunately, <em>The Terminator</em>, which had no doubt started out in one of the larger, more typically-designed auditoriums, had by that time been shunted off to one of the smaller, particularly ill-proportioned rooms.</p>
<p>Without a doubt, the auditorium showing <em>The Terminator</em> was the strangest viewing space I’ve ever been in. The room was extremely wide, but not at all deep. As I recall, there were only seven rows of seats, with twenty-some seats in the first rows, but fewer as the room narrowed on that side from front to back. Unaccountably, the rows didn’t run parallel to the screen, but drifted away from it on the left. To make matters worse, the seats weren’t centered on the screen; the farthest right-side seats faced the screen, but the far left seats (a full third of all seats) faced a black wall. This meant that if you were unfortunate enough to have to sit on that side of the auditorium, you had to crane your neck far to the right, while also dealing with the fact that the person seated to your right was slightly ahead of you! To top it all off, there was an architectural support beam that actually obstructed line of sight for those farthest left seats! Having seen many games in old, now razed, stadiums and arenas, I was no stranger to obstructed vision, but only in sports venues. Watching a movie with a beam splitting the screen, yeah, that was a first!</p>
<p>As luck would have it, we arrived shortly before show time and the theater was nearly full. No sooner had we found a couple of the last remaining seats together (far left, front row) than the lights began to dim, signaling the start of the movie and limiting any conversation about getting our tickets refunded. I started to question why I had bothered to make this trip just to watch an <img alt="The DVD cover for Terminator 2: Judgment Day." src="/sites/default/files/Terminator%202%20-%20Judgment%20Day.jpg" style="background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); color:rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor:default; float:right; font-family:sans-serif,arial,verdana,trebuchet ms; font-size:13px; height:300px; line-height:20.7999992370605px; margin:5px; opacity:0.9; width:202px" />Arnold&nbsp;Schwarzenegger movie in this absolutely absurd auditorium – and at premium prices, no less. I suddenly felt stuck in a surreal experience that I couldn’t control. Then the magic happened.</p>
<p>As much as I love movies, it’s still a rare thing for me to feel that I’m experiencing magic when watching a film. I enjoy most of the movies that I see, but those truly transcendent experiences are few and far between. Against all odds, <em>The Terminator</em> turned out to be one of those rare occasions. I was completely won over by Cameron’s vision: a gritty, bleak view of the near future in which intelligent machines have not just gained the upper hand on mankind, but are bent on the latter’s complete annihilation. Then he swings the narrative to the present day, where a freedom fighter from the future is sent to accomplish a gargantuan task: prevent a seemingly unstoppable cyborg (also from the future) from ending any chance mankind has of escaping its horrendous destiny.</p>
<p>I’d never experienced a film with such overwhelming suspense. That suspense, complemented by some ridiculously effective action sequences made for a totally satisfying whole. It was obvious that the young director/co-writer, James Cameron, whose only previous credit was the awful, Z-grade exploitation pic <em>Piranha Part Two: The Spawning</em>, might actually have talent. <em>The Terminator</em> was a picture that was clearly a step up from his filmmaking debut, but was still a low-budget ($6.5 million) flick with limited studio expectations. Cameron’s clever screenplay and cunning shooting style helped disguise the movie’s modest origins, producing a classic in the process. The filmmaker, of course, would go on to make such blockbusters as <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=142KL290718R9.53445&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1047830~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Aliens&amp;index=PALLTI">Aliens</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=SO2I829283917.53463&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!947079~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Terminator+two&amp;index=PALLTI">Terminator 2: Judgment Day</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=SO2I829283917.53463&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!894765~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=True+lies&amp;index=PALLTI">True Lies</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=SO2I829283917.53463&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!23~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Titanic+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Titanic</a></em>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=SO2I829283917.53463&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!22844~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Avatar+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Avatar</em></a>.</p>
<p>As for Schwarzenegger, he went to become a bona fide action star. Cameron’s brilliance in casting Schwarzenegger in the title role was that he didn’t have to do much more than be compellingly menacing. Instead of his accent being a problem, it worked just fine for a cyborg with a limited speaking role. And, Schwarzenegger was given a handful of truly funny lines that probably only worked because of his stiff, deadpan delivery. For Arnold, that was a breakthrough, being able and willing to essentially spoof his own image gave him more upside for the future. Although he would primarily remain an action star, he became increasingly comfortable in front of the camera, imbuing some of those action characters with a sense of humor and even starring in occasional comedies (<em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=SO2I829283917.53463&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!7832~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=15&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Twins+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Twins</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=C4278W0525632.53533&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!976655~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jingle+all+the+way&amp;index=PALLTI">Jingle All the Way</a></em>).</p>
<p>The actor who I thought would really benefit from appearing in <em>The Terminator</em> was Michael Biehn, who played the human hero sent back to save Sarah Connor. Handsome, but rugged, I expected his role as Kyle Reese to launch him to bigger and better things. Although he had major roles in Cameron’s <em>Aliens</em> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W42JQ30546005.53536&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1013261~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+abyss&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Abyss</em></a>, as well as parts in some other sizeable hits like <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W42JQ30546005.53536&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1118960~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tombstone&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Tombstone</em></a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W42JQ30546005.53536&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!7983~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+rock+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Rock</em></a>, he never quite capitalized on that choice opportunity. Nearly all of his subsequent starring roles were in films that quickly found their way into video/DVD clearance bins and middle-of-the-night TV airings. Nevertheless, he remains a busy actor, doing supporting roles (<em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W42JQ30546005.53536&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!976~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Clockstoppers+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Clockstoppers</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W42JQ30546005.53536&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!28304~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Puncture+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Puncture</a></em>) in both film and television.</p>
<p>Linda Hamilton, who played Sarah Connor, followed <em>The Terminator</em> with more of the same type of TV series roles and minor movies (like <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1427F35IP5441.53748&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1182772~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Children+of+the+corn&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Children of the Corn</em></a>) in which she’d appeared before that iconic role. In 1987, however, she was cast in the popular <em>Beauty and Beast</em> TV series in which she starred for two-and-a-half years before leaving abruptly in mid-season when she became pregnant (by then-husband James Cameron) – that was certainly understandable considering that she had miscarried her previous pregnancy. She got extraordinarily buff to recreate her role in <em>Terminator 2: Judgment Day</em>, which was huge hit (much more so than the original) and she received an inordinate amount of press at the time, but was unable to sustain that momentum further. Her longtime bout with bipolar disorder probably didn’t help matters. Like Biehn, however, she has carved out a nice career for herself, frequently appearing on TV (<em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1427F35IP5441.53748&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!951074~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Silent+night&amp;index=PALLTI">Silent Night</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1427F35IP5441.53748&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=17&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=chuck+complete+season+dvd+zachary+levi&amp;x=9&amp;y=9&amp;aspect=subtab38">Chuck</a></em>), as well as getting occasional film work (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1427F35IP5441.53748&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!7184~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=19&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Smile+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Smile</em></a>).</p>
<p>To date, <em>The Terminator </em>has spawned three sequels: <em>Terminator 2: Judgment Day</em> (1991), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1427F35IP5441.53748&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!2252~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=21&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Terminator+3+%5BDVD%5D+%3A+rise+of+the+machines+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines</em></a> (2003), and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1427F35IP5441.53748&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!21663~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=23&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Terminator+salvation+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Terminator Salvation</em></a> (2009), and a TV series, <em>Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles</em>, which ran for a season and a half during 2008 and 2009. The first two, Cameron-made entries, stand head and shoulders above the last two, though those are <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Terminator%203.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:210px" />still fairly entertaining. A surprising number of fans of the franchise actually rank the second entry higher than the first. For me, however, transforming one of the screen’s all-time most frightening villains into a hero (essentially humanizing him) really undercuts the effectiveness of Schwarzenegger’s original characterization. In what may be the ultimate nod to its legacy, the Library of Congress selected <em>The Terminator</em> for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2008,&nbsp;meeting its&nbsp;criteria of being&nbsp;“culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” And, of course, it even works in the most ridiculous of viewing conditions!</p>
<p>On July 1, Schwarzenegger will return to his most famous role – he sat out the fourth installment while playing his next most famous role, California’s “The Governator” – in <em>Terminator Genisys</em>. I suppose that isn’t too surprising. After all, I recall him saying something like… what was it again, oh yeah, I remember, “I’ll be back” (did you really think that I could make it through a piece on <em>The Terminator</em> without quoting it’s most famous line?). If it’s been a while since you viewed any of these movies, or if you need to catch up before the fifth episode comes out, check them out at the Des Moines Public Library!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 18:28:36 +0000Kevin9654 at http://dmpl.orgGoing It Alone: One-Man Bands of Various Stripeshttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/going-it-alone-one-man-bands-various-stripes
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/McCartney-II_0_0.jpg" width="285" height="287" alt="Cover art for the Paul McCartney album McCartney II." title="McCartney II" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>As a kid, one of the exciting, albeit somewhat weird, draws of going to a circus was experiencing the one-man band. What was the attraction? I suspect it was seeing a single individual make as much noise as possible by musically maneuvering a mish-mash of instruments, all before an admiring crowd. I think that this spectacle was more of a little boy thing. I don’t recall little girls, or parents of either gender being particularly enthralled with these traveling troubadours. Of course, being loud wasn’t enough. The performer also had to be able keep rhythm and replicate a song well enough that it would be recognizable to the majority of the show’s patrons. A typical one-man band would consist of a bass drum, cymbals, a harmonica or other wind instrument, a stringed instrument, and a tambourine. Even all of that wasn’t enough. A one-man band also had to look the part. Beneath all of those music making mechanisms was, invariably, an old marching band uniform, which looked the worse for wear.</p>
<p>As an adult, I still have a bit of admiration for these do-it-yourself musicians – after all, it takes a lot of manual dexterity and mental focus to make it all come together – if not enduring enthusiasm. Perhaps that’s because I can’t imagine doing the same old tired act, night after night, city after city, no matter how bright-eyed and eager my prepubescent audience. I suppose that’s true of any job in a circus, a hard life of constant travel, grueling performance schedules, and low pay. Among the various fields of live performance, circus life is certainly very near the bottom. I’m sure it’s great for a certain type of person, but from my adult perspective, it has lost all its glamour. As a result, the one-man band no longer holds the fascination it once did, instead, I just see a lone individual scratching out a meager existence, probably under the illusion that he’s his own boss, while actually under the thumb of the circus owners.</p>
<p>Modern recording techniques now make it possible for any multi-talented musician with technological savvy to become a one-man band, but capable of sounding like a multi-member band. A couple of years ago I saw D. Bess open for <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=S42M8697J5801.11276&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!271738~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Toots+and+the+Maytals+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Toots &amp; The Maytals</a> at Wooly’s. Sitting on stage, Bess used a looping machine to sequentially record multiple tracks, both voice and instrumental, to build complete songs. It was a very interesting experience seeing these songs form before my very eyes (and ears) and I don’t recall him having to resort to a tambourine or maracas to fill in the sound. An old-school one-man band, of course, has the advantage of being able to spontaneously break into song, while the looping expert has to go through a somewhat drawn-out process before arriving at the finished product, but, oh what a finished product it is!</p>
<p>Aside from live performance, there’s another definition of one-man band that has come into the lexicon. That definition describes a musician who provides all vocals, and plays all instruments in a recording studio to produce a wholly self-created album. Several of the musicians who have recorded one-man albums did so after leaving a popular group, either as a way to cope with the breakup or in order to assert greater control over their work in a way not previously possible. Among these are <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1426T70H977N9.11317&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!8574~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=McCartney%2C+Paul&amp;index=PZAUTH">Paul McCartney</a> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1O268715OG371.11422&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!37089~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Beatles&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Beatles</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14M68871O3P38.12524&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!93491~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Wings+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Wings</a>), Roy Wood (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=L42687V6B5850.11432&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!213580~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Move+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Move</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=U42687170M60O.11438&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!191170~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Electric+Light+Orchestra&amp;index=PZAUTH">Electric Light Orchestra</a>), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S687041X38P.11331&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!178182~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Winwood%2C+Steve%2C+1948-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Steve Winwood</a> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14F68Y1T96425.11456&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1344488~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+best+of+Spencer+Davis+Group+featuring+Steve+Winwood+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI">Spencer Davis Group</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1K2687192NX65.11458&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278373~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Traffic+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Traffic</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1426KB196Y298.11462&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1208092~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Blind+Faith&amp;index=PALLTI">Blind Faith</a>), and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1L2X8E0491209.11336&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!246272~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Fogerty%2C+John%2C+1945-&amp;index=PZAUTH">John Fogerty</a> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1426BM200727X.11466&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278405~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Creedence+Clearwater+Revival+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Creedence Clearwater Revival</a>),&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1426E8G64620V.12102&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!130465~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Collins%2C+Phil&amp;index=PZAUTH">Phil Collins</a> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14R6G8170053U.12108&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!111812~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Genesis+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Genesis</a>), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1426885H22XD4.12396&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!203183~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Buckingham%2C+Lindsey&amp;index=PZAUTH">Lindsay Buckingham</a> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1426D8565V91E.12397&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!134250~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Fleetwood+Mac+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Fleetwood Mac</a>),&nbsp;and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=M42688R73F180.12110&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!907717~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Stereo+Grandpa+boy+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI">Paul Westerberg</a> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14V688186YT16.12120&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!709746~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Replacements+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Replacements</a>).</p>
<p>Frankly, there are numerous other reasons why musicians decide to go it completely alone. These include an inability to work well with others (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=B42R8A2043716.11469&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!968560~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Moby+Grape+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Moby Grape</a>’s Skip Spence), a desire to stretch as a musician (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1L2X8E0491209.11336&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278396~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Rundgren%2C+Todd&amp;index=PZAUTH">Todd Rundgren</a>; Grant Lee Buffalo’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=R4268706TW415.11360&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!213342~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Phillips%2C+Grant-Lee%2C+1963-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Grant-Lee Phillips</a>), an attempt to disengage from the requirements of a difficult touring schedule in order to spend more time with family (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=142O87N3L1078.11538&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!260787~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Guided+by+Voices+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Guided by Voices</a>' Tobin Sprout), and a unique personal vision that seemingly precludes input from others (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=142Q873P934R8.11543&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278333~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Oldfield%2C+Mike%2C+1953-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Mike <img alt="Cover art for the Todd Rundgren album Something Anything." src="/sites/default/files/Todd%20Rundgren_2.jpg" style="float:left; height:250px; margin:5px; width:250px" />Oldfield</a>). Historically, nearly all one-man band projects, however, have resulted in only an album or two being recorded before the artist starts working again with other musicians.</p>
<p>Something has changed over the last three decades, however, as ever-increasing numbers of musicians have gone the “I can do it all by myself” route. Not only has it appeared to become more commonplace, but many don’t credit their albums to themselves. Instead, a number of supposed bands are no more than a cover name for a lone musician! Perhaps some musicians desire to maintain a degree of privacy by obscuring their identities behind a band name. Or, maybe certain musicians take pleasure in both doing the work of many, and then seeing how long it takes for the public to catch on to the ruse. Or, there’s the possibility that donning a group name is the wishful thinking of a still-obscure musician who dreams of one day leading a full-fledged band. While some of these musicians play every instrument and provide all vocals, others are predominately responsible for the work, but leave a few tasks to those who are better suited to them. Either way, each is considered to embody one of the possible meanings of the definition of a one-man band. I don’t know when this phenomenon originated – certainly John Fogerty’s first post-CCR album, which was initially credited to The Blue Ridge Rangers, was among the first, way back in 1973, but it didn’t seem to gain traction until over a decade later.</p>
<p>In 1986, Welsh musician Karl Wallinger left the English band <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14WO8736Q8649.11563&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!191758~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Waterboys+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Waterboys</a> to form his own band, World Party. Except Wallinger didn’t go out and hire other musicians. Instead, the singer and multi-instrumentalist chose to create an album (<em>Private Revolution</em>) all by himself, not adding additional musicians until he was ready to tour in support of it. Wallinger crafted his second album the same way, and has continued to do the lion’s share of the work on each additional release, despite having other musicians at his disposal.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=KN268737I1665.11571&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!252467~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Reznor%2C+Trent&amp;index=PZAUTH">Trent Reznor</a> created <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=142LN73735X92.11567&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!252465~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Nine+Inch+Nails+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Nine Inch Nails</a> in 1989 and has seemingly followed Wallinger’s blueprint ever since. Reznor’s exceedingly dark, edgy vision immediately put him at the forefront of industrial music as it hit its early-nineties peak. Although that rock subgenre had greatly faded by the late-nineties, Reznor continues to fabricate popular releases and remains a major concert draw. Surprisingly, country icon <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1N2687393C8B3.11582&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!37238~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cash%2C+Johnny&amp;index=PZAUTH">Johnny Cash</a>’s last major hit, “Hurt,” was a cover of a Nine Inch Nails tune.</p>
<p>Grunge, another rock subgenre that was emerging during the same period as industrial, finally burst from its Seattle incubator on the popularity of the band <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=H42687Q97Q293.11584&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193757~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Nirvana+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Nirvana</a>. While Nirvana’s unequivocal leader was Kurt Cobain, it was another member of the band who would soon equal his fame. While still toiling as Nirvana’s drummer, Dave Grohl was writing and recording tracks for his own side project. When Cobain committed suicide in April 1994, Grohl continued his solo work, which would eventually become <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=SN26874141686.11596&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!261610~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Foo+Fighters+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Foo Fighters</a>. The eponymously-titled album was released fifteen months later to great acclaim. The success of the album caused Grohl to hire a touring band, which despite some early departures, has remained stable for the past fifteen years. Seven more albums have followed – with Grohl the unquestioned creative leader – that have made Foo Fighters one of the world’s top rock acts.</p>
<p>John Ondrasik has been recording under the name <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1VR687417N199.11598&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!269855~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Five+for+Fighting+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Five for Fighting</a> since 1997. As a gifted composer, vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and producer (to name just his primary talents) Ondrasik can handle nearly all aspects of putting together an album. His breakthrough came in the aftermath of 9/11, when his song “Superman (It's Not Easy)" became the unofficial anthem of New York City’s recovery efforts. That success required him to add backing musicians once touring became a possibility. Although Five for Fighting continues to tour as a band, the recording sessions for each additional album have largely remained the domain of Ondrasik.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=142H87P2271X0.11602&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!271474~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Dashboard+Confessional+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Dashboard Confessional</a> was one of the bands at the center of the emo movement, which peaked in the years surrounding the turn of the new millennium. Chris Carrabba was moonlighting from a band called <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=142B87426I1O1.11604&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!273363~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Further+Seems+Forever+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Further Seems Forever</a> when he made and released their first album. He left his erstwhile main gig shortly after their initial album <img alt="the cover art for Foo Fighters' self-titled album." src="/sites/default/files/Foo%20Fighters_0.jpg" style="float:left; height:250px; margin:5px; width:250px" />release, choosing to focus his attention instead on a second Dashboard album. The surprise success of that second album, <em>The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most </em>(2002), prompted Carrabba to form a touring band. Despite frequent personnel changes, Carrabba has allowed some of these guns for hire to take over some recording responsibilities on more recent releases.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=S42687432U2F8.11607&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!560180~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Iron+%26+Wine+%28Musician%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Iron &amp; Wine</a> began as a series of lo-fi recordings created in the bedroom of Samuel Beam. Those folky-sounding songs eventually made their way to Jonathan Poneman, co-owner of famed indie outfit Sub Pop Records, in the form of two self-produced CDs. Poneman distilled those songs down to the full-length album <em>The Cradle Drank the Creek</em> (2002) and the EP <em>The Sea &amp; the Rhythm</em> (2003). The critical reception was astounding and sales success followed. Soon thereafter, Beam was equipped with a full backing band, which has contributed to subsequent albums, though Beam remains the focal point.</p>
<p>One of the biggest singles of 2009 was “Fireflies,” by <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=CL26Y74386621.11616&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!832067~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Owl+City+%28Musician%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Owl City</a>. That song was an international hit, reaching number one in several countries, including the United States. Owl City is the brainchild of Adam Young, who began recording his own compositions in the basement of his parents’ home in 2007 using a computer and few readily available instruments. Owl City’s first two albums were self-released by Young, who gained interest from record companies due to heavy traffic on his MySpace page. “Fireflies” was the initial single off <em>Ocean Eyes</em>, the first of his three albums with Universal Republic. His new clout afforded Young the opportunity to collaborate with high profile musicians on subsequent albums.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=OJ2O878413205.11837&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!131926~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Franklin%2C+Aretha&amp;index=PZAUTH">Aretha Franklin</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1426878C58N7F.11845&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!147181~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Eurythmics+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Eurythmics</a> vocalist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1426N78O83W66.11846&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!197339~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Lennox%2C+Annie&amp;index=PZAUTH">Annie Lennox</a> once sang, "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves," and so unconventional worldbeat musician Merrill Garbus has shown that it’s not just men who’ve established one-man (or should we say one-woman) bands. Garbus formed <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14P6878X350T7.11854&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!894552~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tune-Yards+%28Musician%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">tUnE-yArDs</a> in 2006, composing and performing material that would eventually become the self-recorded lo-fi album BiRd-BrAiNs in 2009. Additional musicians have appeared on her two subsequent albums, but tUnE-yArDs remains her creative plaything.</p>
<p>Click the links above to find items in our catalog. Then come alone – or as a group – to the Des Moines Public Library!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/one-man-bands" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">One-man bands</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">music</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Fri, 20 Mar 2015 16:38:25 +0000Kevin9567 at http://dmpl.orgWe All Know that Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly Could Dance, but What About the Ladies?http://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/we-all-know-fred-astaire-and-gene-kelly-could-dance-what-about-ladies
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Cover%20Girl.jpg" width="252" height="360" alt="The DVD cover for the Rita Hayworth film, Cover Girl." title="Cover Girl" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Ask just about any fan of classic era movie musicals, “Who was the silver screen’s greatest dancer?” and chances are that the person will tell you it was either Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly. Seriously, try it! You’ll be amazed how rarely any other name comes up. Astaire’s and Kelly’s legends live so large that they still dominate the conversation about dance in film. Frankly, either of those two is indeed an excellent choice. Astaire’s elegance and Kelly’s physicality were studies in contrast, but no less fantastic in either case. From the mid-thirties through the fifties, Astaire was given abundant opportunities to strut his stuff in numerous A-list musicals. Kelly came along slightly later, but he too was able to display his considerable terpsichorean talents in numerous top-notch musical productions of the forties and fifties. In addition, both men were intimately involved in creating their own choreography, increasingly so over time as each proved his box office clout. During the “Classic Hollywood” period, among their male rivals (if one can even suggest that they had any) were James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, George Murphy, Donald O’Connor, Dan Dailey, Danny Kaye, and Russ Tamblyn.</p>
<p>But what about the women? Why don't they hold the same historical gravitas? Why aren’t they talked about more? Why don’t they receive the credit that they deserve?</p>
<p>In addition to the aforementioned men, Hollywood was also filled with female dancers who had absolutely amazing skills. There’s no question, however, that Hollywood was fraught with an inherent sexism – one that affected the entire culture, really – during that era. For instance, as males grew older they were often said to look more distinguished. As females grew older they were often said to look, well, old. There was clearly a double standard at work. Therefore, while male dancers were allowed to age gracefully, their partners were perpetually young and fresh. As a result, the careers of male dancers tended to last longer, giving them a better chance to leave a grander screen legacy.</p>
<p>To illustrate, consider that Fred Astaire, at age 34, was first paired with Ginger Rogers, at age 22, in the 1933 movie <em>Flying Down to Rio</em>. Perhaps the age difference is somewhat understandable, as Astaire had already made a name for himself on Broadway before attempting to break into movies, whereas Rogers was already a movie veteran, having starred in films since 1930. While at RKO from 1933-1939, the studio paired Astaire exclusively with Rogers for nine films, with just one exception. That exception was 1937’s <em>Damsel in Distress</em>, in which a 38-year-old Astaire was paired with Joan Fontaine, who was just 19 years old at the time of filming. In the forties, it was more of the same. For 1941’s <em>You’ll Never Get Rich</em>, Astaire was paired for the first of two outings with Rita Haworth, who was twenty years his junior. In <em>The Sky's the Limit</em>, from 1943, a 43-year-old Astaire chases an 18-year-old Joan Leslie! <em>Blue Skies</em> (1946) features a love triangle of Bing Crosby (43), Astaire (47) and Joan Caulfield, who at 24 wasn’t given much of a choice, unless she was seeking a father figure. In 1948, a 48-year-old Astaire starred opposite a 25-year-old Judy Garland in <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!4854~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Easter+parade+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Easter Parade</em></a>. Plans to reteam them for 1949’s <em>The Barkleys of Broadway</em>, however, were curtailed by a Garland illness; she was replaced by Rogers, in her final dancing role. The fifties were even worse! Consider these age disparities (at time of filming): <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1275946~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=14&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Daddy+long+legs&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Daddy Long Legs</em></a> (1955), Astaire, 55, Leslie Caron, 23; <em>Funny Face</em> (1957), Astaire, 57, Audrey Hepburn, 27! Those three-decade differences make the nearly 22-year difference between Astaire and Cyd Charisse in <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!7627~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=17&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+band+wagon+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Band Wagon</em></a> (1953) and <em>Silk Stockings</em> (1957) seem almost modest by comparison.</p>
<p>Perhaps you are among those who think that Hollywood’s greatest female dancers were just less athletic than their male counterparts and so it is that which accounts for their shorter film careers. To that argument I will counter with this fact: several of Hollywood’s best dancers – including Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse, Mitzi Gaynor, Juliet Prowse, and Ann-Margret – had long careers as centerpieces of stage shows, <img alt="The DVD cover for the MGM musical The Band Wagon." src="/sites/default/files/The%20Band%20Wagon_0.jpg" style="float:left; height:300px; margin:5px; width:205px" />Las Vegas revues, and TV specials that extended their careers for decades after they were given the boot by Tinseltown. In addition, consider that a grinding, months- (even years-) long touring schedule with multiple shows a week, or an extended Las Vegas stint during which a headliner performs nightly, requires far more stamina in the end than is required by a movie shoot, which typically (the dance scenes, anyway) lasts no more than a few weeks.</p>
<p>If the aforementioned ladies could still high kick nightly into their forties and fifties (some even into their sixties), then they could just as easily have had movie careers that lasted past their thirtieth, or thirty-fifth birthdays, as did their male counterparts. No, a diminution of ability probably wasn’t the cause of their shortened Hollywood careers. More likely it was the whims of male studio chiefs (or, perhaps, males in general), whose heads were consistently turned by the next pretty face. As a result, most of the female dance stars of Classic Hollywood didn’t have as many onscreen opportunities – in comparison to male dancers – to establish their legends. Nevertheless, what we do have is clearly stellar stuff.</p>
<p>The following list contains the names of ten standout female dancers from the golden age of musicals and a few of the films that captured <em>their</em> amazing terpsichorean skills.</p>
<p>Ginger Rogers –&nbsp;Rogers had already been featured in a pair of groundbreaking early-thirties musicals (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!1877~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=42nd+Street+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>42nd Street</em></a>, <em>Gold Diggers of 1933</em>), but after that point all of her musical roles were limited to being half of the fabled Astaire/Rogers duo. Although not a solo dancer, she showed exceptional grace in some of the greatest dance sequences ever put on film.&nbsp; Top picks: <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!8635~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=22&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Top+hat+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Top Hat</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!8653~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=24&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Swing+time+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Swing Time</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!18965~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=27&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Shall+we+dance+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Shall We Dance</a></em></p>
<p>Eleanor Powell – Powell was the greatest tap dancer of the thirties. Although she made relatively few films, she starred in almost all of them, performing elaborate solo dances in each. She retired from film shortly after marrying rising star Glenn Ford. Top picks: <em>Born to Dance, Broadway Melody of 1940</em></p>
<p>Rita Hayworth – She began her movie career billed by her given name, Rita Cansino, a member of a famous dancing family. A few years later she was rechristened Rita Hayworth and became one of the icons of the era, starring in all types of roles. Surprisingly, she made only a few full-fledged musicals. Top picks: <em>You’ll Never Get Rich</em>, <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!3182~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=33&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=You+were+never+lovelier+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">You Were Never Lovelier</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!18541~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=36&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cover+girl+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Cover Girl</a></em></p>
<p>Judy Garland – There’s no doubt that the diminutive star’s booming voice overshadowed her other considerable skills, but she was also an accomplished dancer, whether solo or as the partner of Mickey Rooney, Gene Kelly, or Fred Astaire. Always self-conscious about her height (just under 5’) and body type in an industry filled with elegant beauties, despite her myriad successes, she became a substance abuser and died at 47. Top picks: <em>For Me and My Gal, Easter Parade, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!31460~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=77&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Summer+stock+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Summer Stock</a></em></p>
<p>Ann Miller – Hollywood’s greatest tap dancer of the forties and fifties, Miller claimed to be able to lay down 500 tap a minute! Her dancing career on film lasted two decades, but she always seemed relegated to the female second lead. Nevertheless, she made an indelible impression in many movies. Top Picks: <em>Easter Parade, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!25030~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=39&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=On+the+town+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">On the Town</a></em>, <em>Kiss Me Kate</em></p>
<p>Vera-Ellen – She may have been the best all-around dancer in Hollywood history, who was comfortable performing any dance style. Sadly, her poor self-image, due to her mistreatment by several men, led to an eating disorder (now known as anorexia-nervosa) that eventually proved fatal. Top picks: <em>Wonder Man</em>,<em> On the Town, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!27053~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=46&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=White+Christmas+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">White Christmas</a></em></p>
<p>Cyd Charisse – The tall Texan, having survived polio as a child, was encouraged by her father to take up ballet as a way to strengthen her frail body. By thirteen she was asked to join the Ballet Russe dance company, with whom she toured internationally for the next several years, until WWII terminated the troupe while in France. Landing in Hollywood, her lithe frame adorned films throughout the forties, but stardom didn’t come until the fifties. Top picks: <em>The Band Wagon, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!646803~!1&amp;ri=50&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=brigadoon&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=50">Brigadoon</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!9735~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=52&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=It%27s+always+fair+weather+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">It’s Always Fair Weather</a></em></p>
<p>Leslie Caron – The French-born ballerina was just twenty when she made her film debut, a starring role, no less, opposite Gene Kelly in <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!1888~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=54&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=An+American+in+Paris+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>An American in Paris</em></a> in 1951. That film went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, as did <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!18036~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=58&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Gigi+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Gigi</em></a>, seven years later! Top picks: <em>An American in Paris, Daddy Long Legs, Gigi</em></p>
<p><img alt="The DVD cover for the Judy Garland film Summer Stock." src="/sites/default/files/Summer%20Stock.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:213px" />Mitzi Gaynor – Unlike some of the dancers on this list, whose singing voices were routinely dubbed, Gaynor possessed pleasant pipes, as well. After film roles dried up, she was the star of nine highly-rated TV specials from 1967-1978. Top picks: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!29363~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=63&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=There%27s+no+business+like+show+business+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>There’s No Business Like Show Business</em></a>, <em>Les Girls</em>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!382~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=69&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=South+Pacific+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>South Pacific</em></a></p>
<p>Ann-Margret – She arrived in Hollywood at the tail-end of the classic era of movie musicals, but still managed to make a name for herself as a star of the genre. Fortunately, her career continues to this day due to her considerable dancing, singing, and dramatic talents, which she has variously used on stage, as a recording artist, on television, or in movies. Top picks: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4N446S545118.8696&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!10212~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=71&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Bye+bye+Birdie+%5Bvideorecording%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Bye Bye Birdie</em></a>, <em>Viva Las Vegas</em></p>
<p>Other dancers who could claim a spot on the above list include Ruby Keeler, Peggy Ryan, Moira Shearer, Debbie Reynolds, and Juliet Prowse. All of the ladies mentioned in this piece were pros and deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments. It may have been a man’s world then, but it’s past time we give the female dancers of that era their due. Click on the linked titles above to view them in our online catalog.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/dance" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">dance</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Fri, 20 Feb 2015 21:54:48 +0000Kevin9209 at http://dmpl.orgPiano Rock: From Elton John to Jack's Mannequinhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/piano-rock-elton-john-jacks-mannequin
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Elton%20John%20-%20Goodbye%20Yellow%20Brick%20Road.jpg" width="400" height="394" alt="The album cover for Elton John&#039;s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." title="Elton John" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>My bedroom was nothing special growing up. It was pretty cramped, or shall I say, cozy. It was easily the smallest of the three bedrooms inhabited by us three brothers. As the youngest, it wasn’t uncommon for me to get saddled with hand-me downs, smaller portions, and lesser things. Accordingly, the bedrooms decreased in size along with the decline in our ages. What my bedroom did have going for it was that it was warm in the winter. It was <em>really</em> warm! The furnace was only two feet away, on the other side of the wall that my room shared with the utility room. Furnaces then weren’t nearly as fuel efficient as they are now. As a result, a lot of the heat intended for ductwork to other rooms in the house just radiated out the sides of the furnace -- and into my room, making it toasty warm, even on the coldest of days. My brothers’ rooms, on the other hand, were quite chilly. Their rooms were situated far from the furnace, on outside corners of the house. You could often hear wicked winter winds whipping around those corners. My room, on the other hand, had only one narrow outside wall, with just one window. That meant that my room had less than half the heat loss of my brothers’ rooms, with their long outside walls and two windows. Those windows, however, also meant that they had a nice cross breeze in the summer, while my room remained stuffy. As we didn’t get air conditioning until I hit my teens, the summers were plenty warm for me, too! “The sauna,” as my brothers nicknamed my room, is likely the reason that I hate being cold to this day. Apparently, my body adapted to the situation.</p>
<p>As for my bedroom’s décor, it was nothing special, either. It was an odd mix of pennants, puzzles, and posters. For whatever reason, I must not have liked empty walls, because I was constantly adding or removing things from those dark paneled surfaces. Most of the pennants were from places I’d visited on family vacations, while the puzzles were ones that I’d put together, pasted onto paperboard, and then hung on the walls as artwork. My first poster was of the Detroit Red Wings logo, for which I’d sent off a couple of Wheaties box tops and some change to acquire; it hung on the back of my door. To its right was my first music poster, in which a flamboyantly-dressed <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!67281~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=John%2C+Elton&amp;index=PZAUTH">Elton John</a> banged away at a white grand piano. I don’t think that I really knew that much about Elton John before I bought that poster. Although I’d heard prominent use of piano on such hits as “Bennie &amp; the Jets” and “Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting),” I’m not sure if I even realized that he was the pianist! In truth, I didn’t think that the poster was all <em>that</em> great, but when I eyed it in the clearance bin at Spencer’s, I figured the price was right!</p>
<p>Before discovering Elton John, I wasn’t aware that a musician could be a rock star if he played piano. While early stars of rock and roll, such as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!643591~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=10&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Domino%2C+Fats%2C+1928-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Fats Domino</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!129642~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=12&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Little+Richard%2C+1932-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Little Richard</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!81558~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=14&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Lewis%2C+Jerry+Lee&amp;index=PZAUTH">Jerry Lee Lewis</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!23665~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Charles%2C+Ray%2C+1930-2004&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ray Charles</a> were piano pounders, rock bands of the late sixties and early seventies didn’t have pianos. They might have electronic keyboards, in fact, many of them did, but they didn’t have pianos. In the new age of amplification – the rock era – pianos weren’t cool. Then Elton John came along. When Elton played it, the piano was suddenly cool again.</p>
<p>Some may claim that the mere inclusion of a piano automatically precludes any artist’s claim to the rock genre, and limit them to the pop category, instead. I take issue with such statements. Many pianists who easily fall within the traditional definition of pop (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!200339~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=18&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Williams%2C+Roger%2C+1924-2011&amp;index=PZAUTH">Roger Williams</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!199694~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=24&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Ferrante+and+Teicher&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ferrante &amp; Teicher</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192038~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=26&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Connick%2C+Harry%2C+Jr.%2C+1967-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Harry Connick, Jr.</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!178046~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=28&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Feinstein%2C+Michael&amp;index=PZAUTH">Michael Feinstein</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!250281~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=30&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Brickman%2C+Jim&amp;index=PZAUTH">Jim Brickman</a>, for example), have only surface similarity to those artists who are now considered to inhabit the rock subgenre known as piano rock. While pianos are routinely used to put over bright show tunes, mournful ballads, or (especially) heartfelt love songs, in the hands, or more accurately, the fingers, of a versatile player with the right material, a piano can truly rock.</p>
<p>While Elton John was a Brit who quickly conquered the U.S. music charts in the early seventies, America soon had a piano hero of its own: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!101936~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=32&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Joel%2C+Billy&amp;index=PZAUTH">Billy Joel</a>. Joel had become a studio musician at age 16 in the mid-sixties and had bounced around in a number of rock bands, including the psychedelic rock duo Attila, before heading out on his own in 1971. Unlike John, for Joel, stardom was a slow build. He’d already released four solo albums before his true commercial breakthrough in 1977 with the album <em>The Stranger</em>. His next two LPs, <em>52nd Street</em> and <em>Glass Houses,</em> cemented his position in the pantheon of popular music deities. Like Elton John, Billy Joel’s career continues to this day. In fact, over the last two decades, they have teamed for several wildly popular concert tours.</p>
<p>You’d think that with the success that John and Joel achieved in rock as pianists, more would have quickly followed. Apart from the early career of Barry Manilow, who was more in the realm of pop, anyway, that didn’t prove to be the case. Occasionally, other pianists such as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!103861~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=34&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Russell%2C+Leon&amp;index=PZAUTH">Leon Russell</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!163371~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=36&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=John%2C+Dr.%2C+1940-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Dr. John</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!55513~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=38&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Zevon%2C+Warren&amp;index=PZAUTH">Warren Zevon</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!177652~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=40&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Hornsby%2C+Bruce&amp;index=PZAUTH">Bruce Hornsby</a> have had a degree of chart success, but never the substantial sort enjoyed by John or Joel. Even to this day, no rock artist/group has enjoyed that level of unqualified success by placing a piano at the center of their instrumentation. Nevertheless, pianos began reemerging as a showpiece instrument among rock artists beginning in the nineties. It wasn’t until then that many pianists began sticking with the traditional instrument – and avoiding the tendency to opt for electronic keyboards, instead.</p>
<p><img alt="The album cover of Tori Amos' Night of the Hunters." src="/sites/default/files/Tori%20Amos.jpg" style="float:right; height:250px; margin:5px; width:250px" />It wasn’t a man who kicked the door open for piano rock in the early nineties, when alternative rock held sway. Instead, it was the diminutive, fireball <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!202237~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=42&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Amos%2C+Tori&amp;index=PZAUTH">Tori Amos</a>, who arrived on the scene as a fully-formed musical presence with the release of her 1992 album <em>Little Earthquakes</em>. Amos followed that up with a succession of strong albums – <em>Under the Pink, Boys for Pele</em>, <em>From the Choirgirl Hotel</em> – that proved that her debut was no fluke. Without a doubt, Amos (as well as pop singer and sometime pianist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193932~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=45&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=McLachlan%2C+Sarah&amp;index=PZAUTH">Sarah McLachlan</a>, also known as the founder of the Lilith Fair tours) influenced a whole generation of female pianist singer-songwriters. First up was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!255194~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=47&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Apple%2C+Fiona&amp;index=PZAUTH">Fiona Apple</a>, another major talent whose debut disc, <em>Tidal</em>, was released in 1996, when the musician was just nineteen years old. Her three subsequent albums have all received critical acclaim, as well, though her vast, initial popularity has segued to more of a fervent cult.</p>
<p>In the early 2000s, a number of other females arrived in a rush: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!269742~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=49&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Keys%2C+Alicia&amp;index=PZAUTH">Alicia Keys</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!270941~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=53&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jones%2C+Norah%2C+1979-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Norah Jones</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!271395~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=55&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Carlton%2C+Vanessa&amp;index=PZAUTH">Vanessa Carlton</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!716073~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=58&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Bareilles%2C+Sara&amp;index=PZAUTH">Sara Bareilles</a>, though each of them tended more toward pop, often with additional musical influences. Yet another female who came on the scene about that same time was Amy Lee, whose band <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!273867~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=60&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Evanescence+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Evanescence</a> paired crunchy goth guitar licks with her tinkling piano runs and ethereal voice. With 2003’s <em>Fallen</em> and 2006’s <em>The Open Door</em>, Evanescence had two of the biggest-selling heavy metal albums of the decade, but even their sound isn’t what is generally considered the stuff of piano rock.</p>
<p>The first male to fully embrace the piano as a rock instrument and have ongoing success with that formula in a long time was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!243472~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=62&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Folds%2C+Ben%2C+1966-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ben Folds</a>. His group, Ben Folds Five (which, incidentally, has only three members) features a mixture of Tin Pan Alley songwriting sensibilities, power pop production style, alternative rock trappings, and a snarky sense of humor. That combination quickly attracted an audience with the release of their eponymously-titled debut album in 1995. The release of the singles “Battle of Who Could Care Less” and “Brick,” from their second album, <em>Whatever and Ever Amen</em>, increased their momentum all the more. Ben Folds, either as part of that trio or as a solo artist, has been the unofficial flag bearer for piano rock – as an alternative/indie rock mainstay – ever since.</p>
<p>In the late nineties, several rock bands formed that included the piano as a key instrument. By 2000, some of them were emerging on the international scene. One such band was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!267456~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=64&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Coldplay+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Coldplay</a>, which has two members who can play piano parts, though many of their songs use an electronic keyboard, rather than a standard piano. Nevertheless, as one of the most popular bands in the world over the past decade and a half, Coldplay has been “instrumental” in getting the piano heard in the rock world.</p>
<p>Piano rock as a distinct, viable subgenre finally found it’s footing in the last decade, during which a number of piano-centric artists and groups became popular. In the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, it was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!269855~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=66&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Five+for+Fighting+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Five for Fighting</a>’s song “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” that became the unofficial anthem of the recovery. Five for Fighting is actually the recording name of Vladimir John Ondrasik, III (though a band was later assembled for touring purposes). Already a successful singer-pianist at the time he wrote “Superman,” it was that song that helped propel Ondrasik’s career to the next level. He’s had several hit singles and albums in the years since. In 2003, the British band <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!523620~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=68&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Keane+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Keane</a> released their first album, <em>Hopes and Fears,</em> and became instant stars in the UK (all four of their albums have gone to #1 there) and Europe. Though lesser known in the US, such singles as “Somewhere Only We Know” and “Is It Any Wonder” have received pretty extensive radio play here.</p>
<p><img alt="The album cover for Jack's Mannequin's The Glass Passenger." src="/sites/default/files/Jack%27s%20Mannequin_0.jpg" style="float:right; height:250px; margin:5px; width:250px" /><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!272296~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=70&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Something+Corporate+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Something Corporate</a>’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!911524~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=72&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=McMahon%2C+Andrew%2C+1982-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Andrew McMahon</a> originally created <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!596627~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=74&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jack%27s+Mannequin+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Jack’s Mannequin</a> as a side project to his regular gig, but the popularity of their debut album, <em>Everything in Transit,</em> in 2005 led to its becoming his sole gig. Recently, the Jack’s Mannequin moniker was retired, but McMahon continues to record and tour under his own name. In 2005, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!643885~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=76&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Fray+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Fray</a> also released their first album, “How to Save a Life,” which included two top ten hits: “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and the title cut. They followed up that album with three more that have all cracked the top ten album chart, including their eponymously-titled album that hit #1 in 2009. In addition, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!728655~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=78&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Hush+Sound+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Hush Sound</a>’s debut album, <em>So Sudden</em>, also arrived in 2005 and was quickly followed by two more CDs.</p>
<p>More recently, such piano rock bands as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!858081~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=80&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jukebox+the+Ghost+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Jukebox the Ghost</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1022437~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=82&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Great+Big+World+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">A Great Big World</a> have joined “the fray.” In addition, such alternative/indie artists from the past decade as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!276801~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=84&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Kweller%2C+Ben&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ben Kweller</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!497659~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=86&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mae+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Mae</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!275933~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=88&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=DeGraw%2C+Gavin%2C+1977-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Gavin DeGraw</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!638141~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=90&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Augustana+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Augustana</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1422D86H7X884.21771&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!694212~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=92&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cold+War+Kids&amp;index=PZAUTH">Cold War Kids</a> have incorporated piano into many of their compositions. In an age when electronics seem to play an ever larger role in the creation of popular music, the piano remains a go-to option. Click on the links in this piece to be taken to our online catalog, or come to any of our six Des Moines Public Library locations to browse our large, and considerably varied CD collection.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/piano-rock" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Piano Rock</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">music</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Wed, 28 Jan 2015 22:54:22 +0000Kevin8898 at http://dmpl.orgShirley Temple: Little Girl / Big Talenthttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/shirley-temple-little-girl-big-talent
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Stand%20Up%20and%20Cheer%21.jpg" width="259" height="246" alt="Shirley Temple, circa 1934" title="Shirley Temple" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>It’s often said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. I’d have to agree with that analogy. In the house in which I grew up (from age six to eighteen), that was certainly true. The beat of that heart, if you’ll allow me to extend the analogy, belonged to my mom. Whether she was baking, cooking, ironing, paying bills, supervising our homework, or taking part in any other activity that commonly took place in our kitchen, the room was a little brighter with my mother in it. If my mother was in a good mood, as she generally was, you might hear her sing, hum, or whistle. If she was really happy, she might do a little tap dance in the space between the oven and the dish sink. My mom, at 5’3” and just a hair over 100 pounds, was quite petite. It’s no wonder that she would sometimes bring up pint-sized 1930’s movie icon Shirley Temple as someone she‘d once dreamed of becoming.</p>
<p>I imagine that millions of little girls dreamed of either being Shirley Temple or becoming the next Shirley Temple during the thirties and beyond. There were imitators, of course, the best probably being Jane Withers, a child star of the thirties and forties, later known as the "Josephine the Plumber" character in the long-running series of Comet cleanser commercials of the sixties and seventies. Today, millions of little girls dream of being a Disney princess, as the current, sensational success of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1469466~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Frozen&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Frozen</em></a> bears out, with its sister duo of Elsa and Anna. When Shirley Temple came on the scene, however, Disney was still a few years away from releasing its first animated feature,&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!934142~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Snow+White+and+the+seven+dwarfs&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</em></a> (1937). Instead of Disney’s version of a princess, it was Shirley Temple who was the little princess at the heart of little girls’ dreams of that era.</p>
<p>Truthfully, at the point when my mother started mentioning Shirley Temple to me, I had no more than the faintest inkling of who she was. I may have seen photos or video clips of her, but I’d certainly never seen an actual film. About all I knew of her was that she had been a famous movie star, famous enough to have had a mixed drink named for her, albeit a non-alcoholic one. By the time I was in my mid-teens, and watching just about any movie that played our local TV stations, I finally came across my first Shirley Temple movie. If I’m not mistaken, it was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1249992~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Shirley+Temple.+The+little+princess&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Little Princess</em></a>, I kid you not. I think that I was both impressed and horrified, in about equal measure. She was unquestionably extremely talented, but she was also so outlandishly confident for someone her age that it just seemed weird.</p>
<p>Unlike Shirley, my mother was more on the timid side. Mom was a hard worker, humble and deferential, as I’m sure all “good girls” were taught to be growing up in the rural Midwest. For many in Depression-era America (including my mother’s family), daily life was a hard scrabble existence. There wasn’t much to sing or dance about. Whether or not my mom actually had any talent for show biz, I doubt that it would have made much difference. Stuck as she was in the remote bluffs of southwest Wisconsin, no Hollywood talent scout would ever have found her, anyway.</p>
<p>Fortunately for Temple, she was born in Santa Monica, California, a short trip from Hollywood. Temple could do it all. She could act, sing, dance, and was a surprisingly gifted mimic. She was only four years old when she appeared in her first short subject in 1932. Just months later, she had a supporting role in her feature film debut. By the time she was six, she was the top-billed star of her own movies. To say that Shirley Temple’s movies were popular is to undersell them by half. By 1935, the year she turned seven, Temple was the biggest box office attraction in the country. In fact, she reigned at the very top of Quigley Publishing’s annual “Top Ten Money Making Stars” poll for four years straight! While it’s true that little Shirley was multi-talented, it was probably her dancing skills that were the most notable for someone her age. Some people are natural actors, others are blessed with pleasant singing voices, and all children are mimics to an extent, as that’s how they learn to speak, by imitating adults and older siblings. Dancing, however, is something that is learned. Steps must be practiced, while routines require memorization. Temple had loads of natural talent, but she also was a hard worker, even as a small child.</p>
<p>It didn’t hurt, of course, that 20th Century Fox (the studio that had her under contract) typically paired her with some of the best <img alt="The DVD cover for the 1939 Shirley Temple movie The Little Princess." src="/sites/default/files/The%20Little%20Princess_0.jpg" style="float:left; height:275px; margin:5px; width:193px" />song-and-dance men of the period. Although they are now nearly forgotten, such musical performers as James Dunn, Bill "Bojangles” Robinson, and Jack Haley performed multiple times with the curly-topped, dimpled dynamo. In fact, 20th Century Fox had a large staff devoted to making Shirley look good. At a time when many of the major studios were filing for bankruptcy, Shirley Temple was more responsible than anyone else for keeping 20th Century Fox solvent. During the depths of the Depression, she helped lighten the melancholy mood of many moviegoers. Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt took notice. “It is a splendid thing that for just fifteen cents an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles,” Roosevelt is quoted to have said.</p>
<p>These many decades later, her thirties films are best viewed through the lens of nostalgia or as excellent examples of proficient production-line formula filmmaking – and, naturally, for young Shirley’s improbable skills and charm. Among your best bets are <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1215749~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=10&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Little+colonel&amp;index=PALLTI">The Little Colonel</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1244293~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=12&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Captain+January&amp;index=PALLTI">Captain January</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1492534~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Stowaway&amp;index=PALLTI">Stowaway</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1244295~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Wee+Willie+Winkie&amp;index=PALLTI">Wee Willie Winkie</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!39353~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=43&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Heidi+%5Bvideorecording%5D+%2F+Twentieth+Century+Fox+%3B+producer+Darryl+F.+Zanuck+%3B+directed+by+Allan+Dwan.&amp;index=PDVD">Heidi</a></em>, and the aforementioned&nbsp;<em>The Little Princess</em>. By the time Temple hit puberty her popularity had slipped precipitously. Nevertheless, she continued to star in occasional films while also finding plum supporting roles in several major movies of the mid-to-late forties, including <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1215736~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=45&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Since+you+went+away&amp;index=PALLTI">Since You Went Away</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!4890~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=47&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=I%27ll+be+seeing+you+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">I’ll Be Seeing You</a>, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer,</em> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1420O4248W554.38251&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!12608~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=51&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Fort+Apache+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Fort Apache</em></a>. Those are all notable titles worth seeking out. Shirley made her final film in 1949, at just twenty-one years of age! Outside of some television work in the late fifties and early sixties, Temple turned her back on acting, spending most of those decades at home raising her children. In 1967, she ran unsuccessfully for public office in California, but soon thereafter became a diplomat, serving in several capacities in various countries, under multiple presidents. It was a successful second career for the former child star.</p>
<p>When Temple died this past February at the age of 85, while it did generate some media coverage, it wasn’t as much as many would have expected. In the history of Classic Hollywood (roughly 1930-1960), Temple was one of the major stars and remains one of the few true icons of the period. Wayne, Garland, Bogart, Monroe, Dean, Temple, you get the idea, those stars instantly recognizable by a single name and whose images are still recognizable to most people today, even among those who haven’t seen any of their films. Yet it appears that <em>People</em> magazine didn’t even note her passing, let alone give her the mandatory cover reserved for the death of Hollywood royalty.</p>
<p>In the years that have elapsed since I saw my first Shirley Temple movie, I’ve seen a number of others. I still view her work with some degree of bewilderment: how could someone so young be so skilled and show so much self-assurance? Apparently, I’m not alone in that opinion. It must have bothered people from the moment she became a star, as entertainment publications of the day frequently carried (unfounded) rumors of Temple being an adult midget! I guess that my agitation comes from the supposition that she must have been pushed, prodded, or pressured into performing, much like a trained animal act in some back-road carnival. Or, perhaps it's due to our own (mostly unacknowledged) unease in seeing someone that young being so skilled, so poised, and so successful that it makes each of us question our own comparatively lesser accomplishments acquired over a much greater span of years.</p>
<p>Unquestionably, Temple’s mother, a failed dancer, provided Shirley with acting, singing, and dancing lessons from an early, early age. How willing a participant Shirley was is anyone’s guess. The fact that she grew up to be a stable, productive adult speaks <img alt="The cover for the book The Little Girl Who Fought the Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America." src="/sites/default/files/Shirley%20Temple_0.jpg" style="float:right; height:275px; margin:5px; width:181px" />volumes. As does this: when the motion picture academy replaced the miniature statuette it awarded her in 1935 with a full-sized Oscar a half-century later, Shirley dedicated it to her mother. A cynical person would say that that was a way of giving a stage mother a backhanded compliment, but as her mother was by then deceased, it seems more a loving tribute by an appreciative daughter. Wherever the truth lies, it’s obvious that Temple was a unique talent. One who shouldn’t be so easily forgotten. You can find many of her movies, several biographies, and a pair of sound recordings in the collections of the Des Moines Public Library. Oh yes, as for my mother, I’ve haven’t seen her tap dance in years, but when the occasion arises, such as a wedding reception, she’ll ballroom dance with anyone who’ll ask her. Dance on, dear mother!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/dancing" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">dancing</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:55:22 +0000Kevin8596 at http://dmpl.orgBritish TV: It's a Mystery to Me!http://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/british-tv-its-mystery-me
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Sherlock.jpg" width="280" height="400" alt="The CD cover for the British TV series Sherlock, Season 2." title="Sherlock" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>It’s funny. We fought two wars against the English to ensure our independence from them, yet somehow many Americans remain fascinated with British culture and life. Although the majority of the earliest settlers to America were English, immigrants from other European countries later watered-down the Anglo presence in America and, later still, immigrants from continents around the world have been woven into the fabric of this ethnically diverse land. Nevertheless, England continues to have a hold on many Americans – and not just those who can trace some bit of heritage to the so-called mother country. Whether it’s the birth of the royal child, the next <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=H418L437146W0.50292&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100017~!679693~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=James+Bond+films.&amp;index=PSUBJ">James Bond</a> spy saga, the latest music sensation (such as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418T43S51902.50310&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!925992~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=One+Direction+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">One Direction</a>) predicted to become&nbsp;as big as&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=H418L437146W0.50292&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!37089~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Beatles&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Beatles</a>, or the English Premier League (their football, our soccer), American Anglophiles are seemingly smitten. Well, perhaps with one exception: their food. Yuck! Frankly, to a non-Anglophile like myself, any interest in English gastronomy is a mystery. Speaking of mysteries, the Brits have long been famous for creating a phenomenon with those too, most recently as TV series, but more on those further down.</p>
<p>I have a distinctively German last name, Kretschmer, whose origins are easily detected by the “tsch” spelling found at its center. That “tsch” letter combination is uniquely German and is actually found in the German word for their own country: Deutschland. My great grandfather, on my father’s side, helped bring the Kretschmer name to America. At a time (the first half of the twentieth century) when immigrants, and the next couple of generations that followed, typically married within their own ethnic group, his son (my grandfather), had ideas of his own. My grandfather, who’d been given an English first name, Charles, decided to go all in. He married a woman who was 100 percent English. Two generations later, I can claim twenty-five percent English blood.</p>
<p>Growing up, however, you’d have thought that our family was fully German, or Deutsch, if you will. As both of my parents were half-German, it’s no surprise that they found common ground there. Also, my mom’s half-Czech heritage was very complementary to the German side. My dad’s half-English heritage, on the other hand, was seldom talked about. Perhaps because his mother died when he was very young, he just didn’t know much about it. As a result, I never thought of myself as in any way English.</p>
<p>Back in days B.C. (before cable, of course, I’m not nearly that old!) we had very few television options. In eastern Iowa we had three network affiliates (two Cedar Rapids, one Waterloo) and an Iowa Educational Broadcasting Network (IEBN) translator station in Iowa City. If what was playing on the commercial stations blew – and you were really desperate to watch something, anything, you might try Iowa City’s Channel 12.</p>
<p>In the early years, PBS was pretty cash strapped (even more so than now, if you can believe that). PBS was nothing more than a clearinghouse for the educational programs produced by state consortiums or local stations across the country. As a result, educational television stations, either individually or as ad hoc networks, took responsibility for their own program schedules (which they’ve never given up). One way that IEBN filled their schedule was by showing cheaply-acquired British television programs.</p>
<p>Among the English series I remember from that era were <em>Father Dear Father, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=U418243BW4679.50311&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=doctor+who+dvd+bbc+series&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Doctor Who</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=141824419Q33Q.50335&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=upstairs%2C+downstairs+marsh&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Upstairs, Downstairs</a>, </em>and<em> <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=monty+python%27s+flying+circus+dvd&amp;x=11&amp;y=11&amp;aspect=subtab38">Monty Python’s Flying Circus</a></em>. The first of those was a silly comedy filled with constant innuendo, misunderstandings and double entendres, sort of a precursor to our own <em>Three’s Company</em> (though that series was actually based on yet another British sitcom). <em>Doctor Who</em> was a goofy sci-fi show shot on a slim budget of about a buck fifty-seven an episode. The long-running series, however, is an oddly beloved English tradition, akin to holiday fruitcake. <em>Upstairs Downstairs</em> was basically a short-form soap opera about the masters and servants of an upper-class London household; it inspired (or was ripped off by) the current, and very popular, English series <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=downton+abbey+dvd&amp;x=9&amp;y=8&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Downton Abbey</em></a>. Considerations of class differences being much more a British concern than an American one, the show just didn’t resonate with me. As for <em>Monty Python</em>, perhaps due to my youthful naiveté, my difficulty understanding the various British accents, or my inability to channel my own English heritage, it left me underwhelmed. While other kids my age, and somewhat older, were singing its praises and memorizing whole skits (which they repeated incessantly), I was left wondering what all the fuss was about. While I’ve since seen a few of their sketches outside the context of that show, and even chuckled at some of them, I’ve never revisited the series to see if time and life experience may have altered my reaction. OK, say what you will, but I may just have to remain in the minority regarding the Pythons.</p>
<p><img alt="DVD cover for Foyle's War, Set 5." src="/sites/default/files/Foyle%27s%20War.jpg" style="float:left; height:280px; margin:5px; width:193px" />Anyway, my early experiences with British TV shows didn’t inspire me to seek out more. Although I watch dozens of foreign films a year, when it comes to TV series, my habit has been to stick with American ones. With the plethora of choices now available through the ever-increasing numbers of broadcast, cable, satellite, and internet networks, there are more worthwhile American-produced series alone than I could ever hope to view. My strategy for dealing with this glut of programming has been to pursue recommendations from various friends, family members, co-workers, and library patrons, so that when I have the time and/or inclination to watch scripted television shows, I’m watching those with the best chance of satisfying my viewing desires. But here’s the rub: many of the people whose opinions that I most respect, often recommend British mystery series. Their enthusiasm for these shows is such that I’m starting to think that perhaps I should dip my toes into the waters of British mysteries. And maybe, just maybe, it’d finally allow me to connect with some aspect of my English heritage.</p>
<p>In a first-ever occurrence on my blog, I’m listing productions that I’m almost totally unfamiliar with, save for the fact that they have been highly recommended by others. There’s a fair amount of variety among them, so whether you’re already a fan of British mysteries, or a newcomer like myself, you’ll likely find some titles that you’ll want to check out. The following ten shows are listed in alphabetical order.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=10&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=agatha+christie%27s+poirot+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Agatha Christie's Poirot</em></a> – The author’s famous Belgian detective, portrayed by David Suchet, received a most reverential treatment in thirteen seasons (or series, as the Brits call them) that originally aired over a twenty-five-and-half-year period.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=the+bletchley+circle+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>The Bletchley Circle</em></a> – Long story arcs are featured in this currently-airing series set in the early 1950s about a female group of WWII code breakers who reunite to crack criminal cases around London.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=foyle%27s+war+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Foyle’s War</em></a> – Now in its eighth series, <em>Foyle’s War</em> is set during WWII, but far from any fighting. Instead, police inspector Christopher Foyle investigates murder, theft, and espionage on England’s south coast.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=19&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=inspector+lewis+dvd+fox&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Inspector Lewis</em></a> – This long-running show (a continuation of the even longer-running <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=25&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=inspector+morse+dvd+thaw&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Inspector Morse</em></a>) has the title character taking on Oxford, England’s elite criminal underworld.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=26&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=luther+dvd+idris&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Luther</em></a> – Easily the most divisive (some love it/some hate it) title on this list, <em>Luther</em> is a very dark look into the life of John Luther, a troubled, but brilliant London police detective played by Idris Elba.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;profile=ce&amp;page=2&amp;group=0&amp;term=midsomer+dvd+&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=28&amp;ts=1418247118518&amp;deduping="><em>Midsomer Murders</em></a> – The tongue in cheek handling of the surprisingly high number of murders that are committed in the otherwise idyllic English village of Midsomer has proven a solid formula for twenty-five seasons (consisting of four to eight episodes each) and is still going.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=31&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=new+tricks+dvd+redman&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em><img alt="DVD cover for New Tricks, Season Four." src="/sites/default/files/New%20Tricks_0.jpg" style="float:right; height:280px; margin:5px; width:193px" />New Tricks</em></a> – Comedy often reigns in this show about an ambitious, but disgraced female police officer forced to head a cold case unit consisting of retired male officers who have been recruited to re-examine unsolved crimes.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=33&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=sherlock+dvd+cumberbatch&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Sherlock</em></a> – Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman take on the roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in this twenty-first century updating of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s celebrated sleuth.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=37&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=waking+the+dead+dvd+eve&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Waking the Dead</em></a> – This nine-season police procedural followed a cold case unit led by Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd, played by Trevor Eve; all cases are told in two, hour-long episodes.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418244R5C983.50341&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=38&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=wire+in+the+blood+dvd+&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Wire in the Blood</em></a> – Based on the mystery series by author Val McDermid, <em>Wire in the Blood </em>centers on university clinical psychologist Dr. Anthony Valentine Hill and the detectives he aids in tracking down serial killers.</p>
<p>The Des Moines Public Library has hundreds of television shows in our DVD collection. These multi-part sets check out for seven days for a paltry $2.00 fee. Come in and get clued in on what British television does best (or so I’m told): mystery series!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/english" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">English</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/british" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">British</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">tv</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/mystery" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Mystery</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Wed, 10 Dec 2014 20:33:34 +0000Kevin8381 at http://dmpl.orgLovin' Lerner & Loewehttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/lovin-lerner-loewe
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Gigi.jpg" width="212" height="300" alt="DVD cover of the 1958 movie Gigi." title="Gigi" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of musicals. In addition to the music requirement, dancing, romance, and comedy are all typical elements found in musicals. With all that going on, how can anyone watch a musical and not feel their spirit being buoyed, no matter their initial mood. I know I can’t! What’s that? Sure, I hear your counter argument. You’re right, some of the more recent musicals are downers. More than some, you say? <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=W4164249J25A0.832&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=cabaret+kander+ebb&amp;x=8&amp;y=6&amp;aspect=subtab38">Cabaret</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1416YC8286849.989&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!984886~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=All+that+jazz&amp;index=PALLTI">All That Jazz</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1416YC8286849.989&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100009~!57619~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=22&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=New+York%2C+New+York+%5Bsound+recording%5D+%3A+original+motion+picture+soundtrack+%2F&amp;index=PMUTITL">New York, New York</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1B16N29808049.1066&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=evita+webber&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Evita</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=J416X300045H0.1075&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=sweeney+todd+demon+barber+sondheim&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164Y0R938L6.1130&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=les+miserables+claude&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Les Misérables</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y41643V5W4861.1146&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=miss+saigon+claude&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Miss Saigon</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=*&amp;menu=search&amp;npp=10&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=profileID&amp;ri=&amp;term=phantom+of+the+opera+webber&amp;index=.GW&amp;Submit=Go">Phantom of the Opera</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=+larson+rent+jonathan&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Rent</a></em>…. OK, point taken. <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=chicago+kander&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Chicago</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=15&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=sunset+boulevard+andrew&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Sunset Boulevard</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=18&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=jekyll+and+hyde+wildhorn&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Jekyll &amp; Hyde</a></em>.… All right! Enough already! I give! I give! Apparently, <em>a lot</em> of post-modern composers are down in the dumps and are content to write musicals that reflect that state of mind. So, let me rephrase: I like mid-twentieth century musicals. You know, the ones with bright songs, charming characters, beautiful sets, lovely costumes, and <em>happy</em> endings. Upbeat musicals used to be common. In fact, they were the norm. Oh, and there were so many brilliant songwriters knocking them out: Irving Berlin, Harry Warren, George &amp; Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers &amp; Oscar Hammerstein, II, Harold Arlen &amp; Edgar “Yip” Harburg, Alan Jay Lerner &amp; Frederick “Fritz” Loewe, Frank Loesser, and Jerry Bock &amp; Sheldon Harnick, to name a few.</p>
<p>You can probably imagine how thrilled I was recently when I read an item announcing that a newly-adapted version of the Lerner &amp; Loewe musical <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=23&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=gigi+frederick&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Gigi</em></a> will make its pre-Broadway bow at Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center in January. The month-long engagement of the Paris-set romance will star Vanessa Hudgens, of the <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=25&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=high+school+musical+hudgens&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>High School Musical</em></a> telefilms, in the title role. Ever since that trio of TV musicals jump-started her career, Hudgens has appeared in several daring movie roles in an apparent attempt to alter her image from kid-friendly Disney ingénue to mature actress. Unfortunately, those roles have been in a succession of stinkers (including <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1255806~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=27&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Beastly&amp;index=PALLTI">Beastly</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1260696~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=29&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sucker+punch&amp;index=PALLTI">Sucker Punch</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1405195~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=31&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Spring+breakers&amp;index=PALLTI">Spring Breakers</a></em>, and <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1494103~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=34&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Machete+kills&amp;index=PALLTI">Machete Kills</a>)</em> that have done little to elevate her career. Her most recent film appearance – the starring role in <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1490199~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=39&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Gimme+shelter&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Gimme Shelter</em></a> –suggests a step in the right direction, but from the few things that I’ve actually seen her in, I can’t really judge her level of talent. In any case, for the sake of the upcoming stage production, I hope that she’s up to the task. After all, we’re talking about the late great songwriting team of lyricist/librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick “Fritz” Loewe here. Their work deserves the best talent available!</p>
<p>The current production is the second American attempt to turn <em>Gigi</em>, the 1958 M-G-M smash and Best Picture Oscar winner, into a successful stage musical (it had been previously produced on Broadway as a straight play in 1951 with a very young Audrey Hepburn in the lead). The movie version (starring Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier, and Hermione Gingold), of course, set the bar pretty high. While hundreds of Broadway musicals have been turned into movies, far fewer movie musicals have ended up on Broadway. <em>Gigi</em> was one of Hollywood’s first musicals to reverse the customary westward trek. In the last two decades, some of Broadway’s biggest hits have followed that same route, including <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=40&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=state+fair+rodgers&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">State Fair</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!678650~!3&amp;ri=43&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=seven+brides+for+seven+brothers+mercer&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=43">Seven Brides for Seven Brothers</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=52&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=mary+poppins+sherman&amp;x=11&amp;y=11&amp;aspect=subtab38">Mary Poppins</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=64&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=the+producers+brooks+mel+springtime&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">The Producers</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=67&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=beauty+beast+ashman&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Beauty and the Beast</a></em>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=70&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=lion+king+rice+elton&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>The Lion King</em></a>. All of which, incidentally, are easily classified as upbeat musicals. Interesting, no?</p>
<p>The origins of the first stage version of <em>Gigi</em> date to the early seventies, when the founder of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera approached the composers about adapting the movie for the stage. The team consented, adding four songs and a ballet sequence to the existing score and the revised version of <em>Gigi</em> premiered in San Francisco in May 1973. It then had a six-month tour before arriving in New York for a Broadway run starting in November. Unfortunately, <em>Gigi</em> ran for a mere 103 performances (with seven previews), before the lights came down on it for good. It did, however, pick up the Tony Award for Best Score, among its four nominations.</p>
<p><em>Gigi</em> was next revived for a U.S. tour during 1984-85 featuring Jourdan, but with the actor moving from the male lead to the supporting role played in the film by Chevalier. In September 1985, a production was staged in London’s West End (the British equivalent of Broadway), where it had a decent, yet still discouraging, seven-month run. Since then, <em>Gigi</em>, boasting two unquestioned classic songs in “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” and “I Remember It Well,” has been mostly out of the public eye. Perhaps the earlier stage adaptations needed tweeking, or even a complete overhaul, to match the charm that director Vincente Minnelli’s film seemed to embody so effortlessly. If you love the music of Lerner &amp; Loewe as much as I do, I’m sure that you’ll join me in hoping that this new adaptation is able to recapture the magic of the movie.</p>
<p>In all, Lerner &amp; Loewe created seven original musicals for the stage. The first of these, <em>Life of the Party</em> (1942), was created for a Detroit theater company and ran nine weeks, but was never produced on Broadway. Their second, <em>What’s Up</em>, opened on Broadway in November 1943, but closed during the first week of the New Year. While it’s often said that the third time’s a charm, and though it’s true that <em>The Day Before Spring</em> was a bigger hit than was their previous show&nbsp;– its Broadway run lasted 167 performances from November 1945 to April 1946 – it still wasn’t the team’s breakthrough hit. That distinction, however, came soon enough.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=79&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=brigadoon&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Brigadoon</em></a>, a romantic fantasy set in the rolling hills of Scotland, was their breakthrough hit. Featuring the classic song&nbsp;“Almost Like Being in Love” and extensive dance numbers, it premiered in March 1947 and ran for 581 performances. The subsequent West End production debuted in April 1949 and ran for 685 performances. Since its original Broadway run, it has had several major revivals. In 1954, <em>Brigadoon</em> became a film starring Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, and Cyd Charisse, and in 1966 it appeared as a telefilm with Robert Goulet, Peter Falk, and Sally Ann Howes.</p>
<p>Lerner and Lowe’s fifth stage musical, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=81&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=paint+your+wagon+lerner&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Paint Your Wagon</em></a>, didn’t match the triumphant heights achieved by Brigadoon, but it wasn’t a flop, either. The story of a miner and his daughter during the California gold rush opened in November 1951 and closed eight months later after 289 performances. The West End run began in February 1953 and lasted for a very respectable 477 performances. Nearly two decades passed before a film version of <em>Paint Your Wagon</em> appeared in 1969, starring Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and (Marshalltown native) Jean Seberg. The movie’s plot differed substantially from the stage version and the song score dropped some of the original tunes, replacing them with new ones by Lerner and André Previn. The film was one of the year’s biggest hits, but its excessive budget prevented it from turning anything beyond a negligible profit.</p>
<p>Twenty-one year-old Julie Andrews was still a Broadway neophyte when cast as Eliza Doolittle in <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=82&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=my+fair+lady+lerner&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>My Fair Lady</em></a>. Also starring Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, the musical was based on George Bernard Shaw’s non-musical play <em>Pygmalion</em>. The score was peppered with instant standards – “Wouldn't It Be Loverly?” “With a Little Bit of Luck,” “The Rain in Spain,” “I Could Have Danced All <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/My%20Fair%20Lady%20-%20DVD.jpg" style="float:left; height:300px; margin:5px; width:210px" />Night,” “On the Street Where You Live” – and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The show ran a then-record 2,717 performances from March 1956 through September 1962. Harrison and Andrews left the Broadway production in 1958 to open the West End production, as well, which ran an equally impressive 2,281 performances. Since then, My Fair Lady has had numerous Broadway and West End revivals and national tours. It also became a 1964 film (and Best Picture Oscar winner) starring Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn, whose singing was dubbed, replaced the less “bankable” Andrews, who got a measure of revenge by nosing out Hepburn for the Best Actress Oscar for her film debut as the star of <em>Mary Poppins</em>.</p>
<p>Andrews returned from <em>My Fair Lady</em>’s West End production to star in the Broadway bow of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=85&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=camelot+lerner&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Camelot</em></a>, a retelling of the King Arthur legend. The high-powered cast was led by Richard Burton as Arthur, with Andrews as Guenevere, Robert Goulet as Sir Lancelot, and Roddy McDowell as Mordred. Opening in December 1960 and closing in January 1963, it ran a robust 873 performances (with two previews). The West End production opened in August 1964 with Laurence Harvey in the lead and ran for 518 performances. Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, and David Hemmings headlined the overblown 1967 film version that looked great, but lacked heart. Three Broadway revivals have appeared since; the first with Burton reprising his role. The second had Harris moving from screen to stage and then to television, as the stage performance was filmed for later showing on HBO. The third starred Robert Goulet, who moved from the Sir Lancelot role to the King Arthur role. Today, <em>Camelot</em> is often associated with John F. Kennedy’s presidency due to the fact that Jackie, his widow, revealed after his assassination that her husband had often played the cast album at night in The White House.</p>
<p><em>Gigi</em> wasn’t the only original score that Lerner &amp; Loewe wrote for Hollywood. They also collaborated on the score of 1974’s <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14164GPN72780.1221&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=87&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=+little+prince+loewe&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">The Little Prince</a>,</em> based on the fantasy novella (the third best-selling single-volume work in publishing history!) by aviator/poet/author Count Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The film stars stage veteran Richard Kiley as a pilot whose plane makes an emergency landing in the Sahara Desert. There, he meets a young alien (the little prince of the title, played by Steven Warner in his movie debut), who is traveling throughout the solar system meeting various adults and having philosophical conversations about the secrets of life. The movie bombed, which didn’t help sales of the soundtrack. Over the years, however, Lerner &amp; Loewe’s intricate score has steadily gained admirers.</p>
<p>Whether you prefer Lerner &amp; Loewe, Irving Berlin, The Gershwins, Cole Porter, Rodgers &amp; Hammerstein, or any other legendary writer(s) of musicals, you’ll find them at the Des Moines Public Library in the Show Tunes section of our CD Collection. And, don’t forget that many of the most popular shows have had movie or television versions that you can find on DVD, as well!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">music</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/musicals" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">musicals</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/broadway" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Broadway</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:46:37 +0000Kevin8101 at http://dmpl.orgSpies: In, Out, and Abouthttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/spies-out-and-about
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Chuck.jpg" width="220" height="300" alt="The DVD cover for the TV series Chuck, The Complete First SeasonChyck" title="Chuck" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>I was cruising in my car the other day when the song "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" came on the radio. It immediately reminded me of the TV series <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1414531JDI518.19484&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=chuck+season+dvd+zachary+levi&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Chuck</a>,</em> a drama-romance-comedy-action show all rolled into one that ran on NBC for five seasons (2007-2012). The song, by the band Cake, was the show's emblematic theme song, or at least an instrumental version of it was. The character of Chuck, as played by Zachary Levi, was a very intelligent computer nerd who’d once held high career aspirations. A series of curious events, however, had derailed those lofty plans and Chuck found himself marking time as a geek squad member of a big box electronics store. Then, into his life came a very fit and attractive blonde who worked at the neighboring yogurt store. Small talk ensued, of&nbsp;course, but all was not as it seemed. It turned out that the cute salesgirl was only hawking yogurt as a cover for her real identity, that of a spy! Thus began the premise of a delightfully entertaining, and for the most part, un-categorizable show. A show that took great pleasure in borrowing from as many different narrative genres as possible and melding them into something quite unique. For all of its perpetual play with genre conventions and expectations, however, it still came down to being a show&nbsp;about spies.</p>
<p>Maybe the masterminds behind <em>Chuck</em> felt that they had to be particularly inventive in an era when there's been no shortage of spy series from which to choose. While there might not be an absolute glut of spy shows right now, it may well fall into the category of “more than you can shake a stick at.” Since 1997, when <em>La Femme Nikita</em> premiered on the USA network and was the top-rated drama on American basic cable during its first two of five seasons, spies have been hot! We’ve had <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1414531JDI518.19484&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=21&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=alias+jennifer+garner&amp;x=6&amp;y=5&amp;aspect=subtab38">Alias</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1414531JDI518.19484&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=25&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=kiefer+sutherland+24&amp;x=12&amp;y=10&amp;aspect=subtab38">24</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1414531JDI518.19484&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=29&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=mi+-+5+volume+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">MI-5</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1414531JDI518.19484&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=31&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=burn+notice+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Burn Notice</a>, Nikita </em>(yes, a remake of<em> La Femme Nikita</em>),<em> <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1414531JDI518.19484&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=covert+affairs+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Covert Affairs</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1414531JDI518.19484&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=homeland+danes+season&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Homeland</a></em>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1414531JDI518.19484&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!38401~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Americans.+The+complete+first+season+%5BDVD%5D.&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Americans</em></a>, and even the animated spoof&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1414531JDI518.19484&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=24&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=archer+H.+Jon+Benjamin&amp;x=9&amp;y=10&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Archer</em></a>, among others. What’s more, movie screens have also been awash in spy sagas, some of which became movie franchises: four <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=bourne+kennedy%2Fmarshall&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Bourne</em></a> films, three <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=austin+powers+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Austin Powers</em></a> comedies, four <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!814450~!0&amp;ri=5&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=mission+impossible+cruise&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5"><em>Mission: Impossible</em></a> pics, and two <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=17&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=agent+cody+banks&amp;x=13&amp;y=2&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Agent Cody Banks</em></a> flicks (for the kids). This continuing spate of spy shows and films came after a decades-long drought of such properties. You have to go all the way back to the sixties to find the previous period in which the spy genre held sway – and, boy, did it hold sway during the swingin’ sixties.</p>
<p>There is no question as to what started the sixties spy craze. The immense popularity of the James Bond film <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!35351~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=19&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Dr.+No+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Dr. No</em></a> in 1962 (the U.S. release was in 1963) quickly led to additional Bond films being made. While <em>Dr. No</em> wasn’t the first spy picture of the sixties, it was clearly the first to become a blockbuster. When <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!710279~!1&amp;ri=27&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=from+russia+with+love+dvd&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=27"><em>From Russia with Love</em></a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!710277~!3&amp;ri=29&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=goldfinger+dvd&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=29"><em>Goldfinger</em></a> repeated and even improved upon that initial level of box office success, producers everywhere sought to tap into that market. Among the spy series launched in the mid-sixties were Derek Flint (starring James Coburn), Matt Helm (Dean Martin), and Hugh Drummond (Richard Johnson). Like the Bond films, those movies didn’t take spy craft very seriously, opting instead for ridiculously unlikely gadgets, deliciously evil villains, ridiculously unlikely plots, and delectably delicious females. Numerous similar, but one-off films clogged movie theaters for the rest of the decade. Unfortunately, as a group, they just weren’t very good.</p>
<p>Not all sixties spy flicks, however, were campy. In fact, there were plenty of attempts to depict espionage accurately. Unfortunately, many of those movies were also epic fails. Two that managed to rise above the rest were <em>The Ipcress File</em> (though its two sequels didn’t fare nearly as well) and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!7458~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=41&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+spy+who+came+in+from+the+cold+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Spy Who Came in from the Cold</em></a>. Another good title was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!2034~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=43&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Charade+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Charade</em></a>, though that film was as much romantic comedy as spy thriller. That’s pretty slim pickings for the number of spy films produced over the decade.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, television networks had far, far better luck developing quality spy properties than did the motion picture industry. Some of the best were produced in Britain and then reshown by American networks as part of their primetime schedules. The first of these was <em>Danger Man</em>, which actually predates Sean Connery’s initial James Bond appearance by roughly two years. Patrick McGoohan, who was considered for the Bond role that made Connery famous, starred as John Drake. That half-hour show only lasted one season (1960-1961 UK, 1961-1962 CBS), but was later revived – after the big screen success of Bond – as an hour-long series (renamed <em>Secret Agent</em> in the states) and ran on CBS for three more seasons. It’s most often referenced today through its theme song, “<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!694407~!1&amp;ri=3&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=secret+agent+man&amp;index=.CDW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3">Secret Agent Man</a>,” which became a number three hit for rocker Johnny Rivers in 1966. A few months after <em>Danger</em> Man debuted in Britain, <em>The Avengers</em> kicked off the first of its six series (the British equivalent of seasons). <em>The Avengers</em>, whose only series regular throughout its run was Patrick Macnee, didn’t make its way to American TV screens until ABC began airing the fourth series in the spring of 1966. The network paid enough for the rights to allow the British producers to move from shooting the show with black and white video cameras to lensing it with color film. <em>The Avengers</em> enjoyed a three-year run on ABC.</p>
<p><img alt="The DVD cover for The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: 8-Movie Collection." src="/sites/default/files/The%20Man%20from%20U.N.C.L.E..jpg" style="float:left; height:300px; margin:5px; width:210px" />American TV producers were just as eager to imitate Bond’s success on the small screen as were their British counterparts. In September 1964, NBC debuted <em>The Man from U.N.C.L.E.</em>, starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum (fifty years later, he’s still a TV series regular, portraying Ducky on <em>NCIS</em>!), as Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, respectively. Before the utter saturation of spy shows and films, <em>The Man from U.N.C.L.E.</em> was a huge success, but ratings rapidly eroded as the spy craze quickly burnt out. Nevertheless, the series lasted four seasons. Additionally, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1548873~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=65&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=MAN+FROM+U.N.C.L.E.%2C+THE%3A+8-MOVIE+COLLECTION+%28DVD%29&amp;index=PALLTI">eight <em>U.N.C.L.E.</em>&nbsp;movies</a> were created for foreign markets by editing together two-part episodes and combining them with additional and/or newly-shot footage. The series was so popular at the start that three of those were even released to theaters domestically! It also spawned a (much inferior) spin-off series called <em>The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.</em>, starring Stefanie Powers.</p>
<p>The 1965-66 television season saw NBC launch a second hour-long spy show, simply titled <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=70&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=I+SPY+culp&amp;x=15&amp;y=11&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>I Spy</em></a>. Starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby, the interracial, and equal, pairing of the lead roles was a first for an American network TV series. Filmed on international locations, the show treated spy craft seriously, but was better known for the lively, less serious, banter between the two stars. For the series’ three seasons, both Culp and Cosby were nominated for Emmys three times each, with Cosby making a clean sweep. That same fall, NBC also debuted <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=73&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=get+smart+feldon&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Get Smart</em></a>, a half-hour spoof of the spy genre starring Don Adams, created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. The comedy was an instant hit and earned Adams three Emmys over the series’ five seasons, the last of which aired on CBS.</p>
<p><img alt="The DVD cover for Mission: Impossible, The Second TV Season." src="/sites/default/files/Mission%20Impossible_0.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:212px" />In the fall of 1966, CBS finally premiered an American-made spy show of its own, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=79&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=mission%3A+impossible+tv+season+&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Mission: Impossible</em></a>. Although it originally starred Stephen Hill (who left after a single season), it is Peter Graves who is most identified with the show as leader of the special missions team. Featuring one of TV’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!603327~!3&amp;ri=8&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=mission+impossible&amp;index=.CDW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8">greatest theme songs</a>/opening credit sequences, the series bypassed the often campy presentation of other sixties spy shows and, perhaps as a result, easily outlived all of its competitors by several years, ending its eight-season run in 1973.</p>
<p>Following the demise of <em>Mission: Impossible</em>, spy shows all but disappeared from American television screens for the next quarter century. The only substantial exceptions were CBS’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=81&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=scarecrow+and+mrs.+king+season&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Scarecrow and Mrs. King</em></a> and ABC’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=84&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=macgyver+anderson&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>MacGyver</em></a>, both of which had nice network runs beginning in the mid-eighties. It may be a testament to the continuing nostalgia for those sixties series that such a large number of them have received new life as movies three and four decades later. <em>The Avengers, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!1556~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=88&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=I-spy+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">I Spy</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!17892~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=90&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Get+Smart+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Get Smart</a></em>, and <em>Mission: Impossible</em> have all received big screen treatments in recent years, while <em>The Man from U.N.C.L.E.</em> is reportedly slated for theater screens in 2015 with Henry (<em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1438922~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=94&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Man+of+Steel&amp;index=PALLTI">Man of Steel</a>)</em> Cavill and Armie (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Q4145921Y9633.20764&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!37959~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=97&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Lone+ranger+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Lone Ranger</em></a>) Hammer filling the shoes of Vaughn and McCallum, respectively. Until then, come to the Des Moines Public Library and cry <em>U.N.C.L.E.</em> Or, say <em>I Spy, Get Smart, Mission: Impossible</em>, or any of the many spy shows, classic or contemporary, that we have to offer at your public library!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/spies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">spies</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/television" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">television</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:47:49 +0000Kevin7821 at http://dmpl.orgGrunge: The Seattle Soundhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/grunge-seattle-sound
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/nirvana.jpg" width="285" height="284" alt="The CD cover for Nirvana&#039;s album &quot;Nevermind.&quot;" title="Nirvana" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>In the early nineties, I worked with a guy named Jay. He was a quiet, skinny dude who nevertheless looked a bit dangerous because he typically dressed in black leather duds with lots of steel studs. Jay, who was actually a really nice young man, was a big fan of industrial metal, a style of music that appeared in the late-eighties, but one that most of his co-workers, myself included, didn’t even know existed before meeting him. It was dark stuff and stayed mostly underground. Nine Inch Nails, a band that, amazingly, still exists today (though in actuality the band is really just Trent Reznor and whoever he chooses to tour with him in any given year) was Jay’s favorite industrial metal practitioner.</p>
<p>From time to time, Jay would tell us about some band he’d been turned on to. He may as well have been reading names out of a phone book, as we’d never heard of any of them before and probably never did again. One day he came in really “amped up.” I’d never seen him that excited before. He was carrying an LP under his arm. For those of you who don’t remember the actual progression of recorded music formats, LPs, or record albums – now usually referred to as vinyl – were already dead by that time, having been supplanted by the cassette and CD formats. Jay was in such a good mood that day because he’d snagged a copy of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14127130MAT47.55065&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!843212~!8&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=nevermind&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1#focus"><em>Nevermind</em></a> by a group called Nirvana. He said that they’d only pressed 1,000 copies (or some such, frankly I don’t recall the exact figure for sure, but what does it really matter, anyway?) and it was sure to become a collector’s item. Once again, none of us had heard of Nirvana, so we just expected them to be one more in the long list of those that Jay mentioned, but were soon forgotten. Jay said the album had a really cool cover, so we all gathered around to see what he meant.</p>
<p>Both the album and the cover art, of course, quickly achieved iconic status. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past two decades and aren’t familiar with the album cover, it features a nude baby in a swimming pool reaching for a dollar bill attached to a fishing line. Yes, a nude baby made it controversial (<a href="http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/facebook-bans-nirvanas-nevermind-album-cover-188007-Jul2011/">even twenty years later!</a>), but the overriding message concerning the perceived status of American life made it a socio-political statement and, accordingly, acceptable. <em>Nevermind</em>, which was only Nirvana’s second album, debuted on the Billboard album chart at a barely noticed #144. The album’s first single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” however, garnered an unexpected level of interest from radio stations and MTV, quickly pushing it up the charts and dragging the album along with it. When all was said and done, <em>Nevermind</em> had become a number one album, eventually selling over thirty million copies!</p>
<p>It turns out that Nirvana wasn’t actually one of those industrial metal acts that Jay championed. Instead, they were from a totally different musical school: grunge. Unlike industrial metal, grunge wasn’t just another rock subgenre of that era, it was <em>the</em> rock subgenre of that era. For a five-year period from the early to mid-nineties, grunge wasn’t just the dominant mode of alternative rock in the United States, but also of rock generally and perhaps even popular music in its entirety. Nirvana wasn’t the first grunge band, nor were they the last, but they certainly were the key artist in first bringing it to the masses.</p>
<p>What, then, is grunge? When and where did it originate? And, what are the typical musical traits associated with it? Grunge is characterized by its stripped-down, guitar-heavy sound, often cited as a deliberate reaction to the over-produced, overly-precise arena rock formula that was popular throughout the eighties. Gone were the synthesizers and production tricks that had been a <img alt="The CD cover for the Soundgarden album &quot;Badmotorfinger.&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/Soundgarden_1.jpg" style="float:right; height:225px; margin:5px; width:227px" />hallmark of new wave, the other ultra-popular music style of the decade. Grunge began in the mid-eighties in and around Seattle (in some circles it was known as the Seattle Sound) and is often described as a cross of heavy metal and punk elements. That’s no surprise as many of the earliest grunge bands started in those genres before developing their own unique musical vision. Among them were the Melvins, Green River, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and Screaming Trees. Common features of grunge are a sludgy guitar sound (often utilized in slow tempo compositions), the presence of guitar fuzz, feedback, and distortion, employment of a greater dynamic range than had been typical, and lyrics routinely dealing with social alienation and pessimism about the future.</p>
<p>Grunge has been labeled the first music genre created by the post-baby boom generation, or, as it became known, generation x. The experiences, attitudes, and concerns of these gen xers differed from those before them, but prior to the emergence of grunge, they had no music that spoke to and/or for them. Perhaps that explains the immense, immediate popularity of Nirvana and other Seattle bands among fifteen to twenty-five year olds when grunge burst onto the national scene in late 1991.</p>
<p>Any artistic movement of consequence, whether art, literature, film, or music, also has impact beyond its own field. For grunge, for better or worse, it was fashion. Grunge fashion was simple, cheap, and rigid. In order to fly your grunge colors, a male really only needed five clothing items: a pair of Dr. (pronounced Doc) Marten boots (though beat-up high-tops were also permissible), a pair of ripped blue jeans, a T-shirt of a favorite grunge band, a flannel shirt, and a wool stocking cap (optional). Oh yeah, hair was grown out, but not frequently washed or combed. Females had more fashion leeway. They could ape the guys, or if they preferred a more feminine look, they could try a modified goth style. Typical elements included heavily torn stockings, distressed short shorts, a T-shirt, a faded, oversized jacket/sweater (black or a muted color), a leather bracelet (though jewelry was kept to a minimum), bright red lipstick, dark mascara and eyeliner (smudged for best effect), and bleached and/or dyed hair (the more unnatural, the better, Kool-Aid worked fine!). Grunge style was, in a word, unkempt.</p>
<p>Grunge albums dominated the album charts for several years (roughly 1992-1996), but a series of coinciding events factored in its demise. The suicide of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, the drug-fueled death of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley, and the breakup of a handful of key bands effectively ended the grunge era, though some bands still soldier on today. The following list highlights some of the major groups that came out of Seattle and their grunge-era albums.</p>
<p>Alice in Chains – <em>Facelift</em> (1990), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1412D1330WK33.55096&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!787538~!7&amp;ri=5&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Alice+in+Chains+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5#focus"><em>Dirt</em></a> (1992), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1412D1330WK33.55096&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!787576~!6&amp;ri=3&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Alice+in+Chains+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3#focus"><em>Jar of Flies</em></a> (1994), <em>Alice in Chains</em> (1995)</p>
<p>Candlebox – <em>Candlebox</em> (1993), <em>Lucy</em> (1995)</p>
<p>Mudhoney – <em>Mudhoney</em> (1989), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!864127~!1&amp;ri=7&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Mudhoney+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7#focus"><em>Superfuzz Bigmuff </em></a>(1990),&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1494969~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Every+good+boy+deserves+fudge&amp;index=PALLTI#focus"><em>Every Good&nbsp;Boy Deserves Fudge</em></a> (1991), <em>Piece of Cake</em> (1992), <em>My Brother the Cow</em> (1995)</p>
<p>Nirvana – <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!787512~!6&amp;ri=11&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Nirvana+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=11#focus"><em>Bleach</em></a> (1989), <em>Nevermind</em> (1991), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!854092~!0&amp;ri=13&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Nirvana+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=13#focus"><em>In Utero</em></a> (1993)</p>
<p>Pearl Jam – <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!763660~!6&amp;ri=16&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Pearl+Jam+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=16#focus"><em>Ten</em></a> (1991), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!830066~!1&amp;ri=18&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Pearl+Jam+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=18#focus"><em>Vs.</em></a> (1993), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!787787~!19&amp;ri=20&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Pearl+Jam+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20#focus"><em>Vitalogy</em></a> (1994), <em>No Code</em> (1996)</p>
<p>Screaming Trees – <em>Clairvoyance</em> (1986), <em>Even If and Especially When</em> (1987), <em>Invisible Lantern</em> (1988), <em>Buzz Factory</em> (1989), <em>Uncle Anesthesia</em> (1991), <em>Sweet Oblivion</em> (1992), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!327075~!1&amp;ri=25&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Screaming+Trees+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=25#focus"><em>Dust</em></a> (1996)</p>
<p>Soundgarden – <em>Ultramega OK</em> (1988), <em>Louder Than Love</em> (1989), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!752810~!5&amp;ri=31&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Soundgarden+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=31#focus"><em>Badmotorfinger</em></a> (1991), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!787762~!4&amp;ri=33&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Soundgarden+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=33#focus"><em>Superunknown</em></a> (1994), <em>Down on the Upside</em> (1996)</p>
<p><img alt="Album cover for the Alice in Chains CD &quot;Dirt.&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/Alice%20in%20Chains.jpg" style="float:right; height:225px; margin:5px; width:226px" />As grunge spread throughout the United States and the rest of the world, other bands either adopted the style, or were lumped in with the Seattle bands. It wasn’t long before the term post-grunge came into usage to describe the next transformation of alternative (hard) rock. The following bands might fit that label, as well, but their early output seems to fit pretty comfortably into the grunge genre.</p>
<p>Bush (London, England) – <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!695995~!1&amp;ri=37&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Bush+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=37#focus">6t<em>een Stone</em></a> (1994), <em>Razorblade Suitcase</em> (1996)</p>
<p>Collective Soul (Stockbridge, Georgia) – <em>Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid</em> (1994), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!311132~!8&amp;ri=40&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Collective+Soul+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=40#focus"><em>Collective Soul</em></a> (1995)</p>
<p>Local H (Zion, Illinois) – <em>Ham Fisted</em> (1995), <em>As Good as Dead</em> (1996)</p>
<p>Seven Mary Three (Williamsburg, Virginia) – <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1045065~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=44&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Seven+Mary+Three+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus"><em>American Standard</em></a> (1995)</p>
<p>Silverchair (Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia) – <em>Frogstomp</em> (1995)</p>
<p>Stone Temple Pilots (San Diego, California) – <em>Core</em> (1992), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!871376~!5&amp;ri=50&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Stone+Temple+Pilots+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=50#focus"><em>Purple</em></a> (1994), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14S271B36H267.55108&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!324382~!4&amp;ri=53&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Stone+Temple+Pilots+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=53#focus"><em>Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop</em></a> (1996)</p>
<p>Whether you’re from the greatest generation, a baby boomer, a gen xer, or a millennial, you’ll find music that speaks to you at the Des Moines Public Library!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">music</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/grunge" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">grunge</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/alternative" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">alternative</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/rock" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">rock</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/fashion" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">fashion</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Tue, 07 Oct 2014 16:30:52 +0000Kevin7634 at http://dmpl.orgThe Queens of Comedy: Lucy & Juliahttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/queens-comedy-lucy-julia
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Veep.jpg" width="280" height="400" alt="The DVD cover for the TV series Veep, The Complete First Season" title="Veep, The Complete First Season" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>As I begin to write this blog entry, it has been fewer than twenty-four hours since Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for HBO‘s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=veep&amp;x=11&amp;y=12&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Veep</em></a>. It marks the third time in the show’s three seasons that&nbsp;Louis-Dreyfus&nbsp;has won that award. At fifty-three years old, she is clearly at the top of her profession. That’s certainly not faint praise considering her remarkable success over the previous twenty years of a network television career that goes back over thirty!</p>
<p>Recently, I had the opportunity to see Louis-Dreyfus interviewed on <em>Late Show with David Letterman</em> during which Dave remarked that she had now racked up fifteen Emmy Award nominations during her illustrious career and the only actress to win Emmys for three different sitcoms (<em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=141IO6903J279.5209&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=seinfeld&amp;x=10&amp;y=8&amp;aspect=subtab38">Seinfeld</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=the+new+adventures+of+old+christine&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">The New Adventures of Old Christine</a></em>, and <em>Veep</em>). Letterman further noted that those fifteen nominations are two more than those garnered by sitcom legend Lucille Ball. Could it be that Ball, once dubbed “The Queen of Comedy,” has finally been dethroned? Or, should we just proclaim that Louis-Dreyfus is “The New Queen of Comedy”?</p>
<p>To even be considered for such a vaunted title, an actress would need several imposing feats to her credit. These would include an impressive body of work, broad popular appeal, the admiration of her peers, and the respect of critics. It’s safe to say that both Ball and Louis-Dreyfus qualify on all counts. These two women took different paths in their respective rise to the top of their profession, but they both had one thing in common: both were well-seasoned pros before they became stars.</p>
<p>Ball, a ravishing redhead with shapely legs, not too surprisingly started her film career as a chorus girl before working her way up to supporting, then leading roles. All told, she had an extensive, if not particularly noteworthy film career. The most famous movies of her early career weren’t famous because of her own involvement in them, but due to the presence of others. For instance, in <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!18704~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Follow+the+fleet+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Follow the Fleet</em></a> she supported Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, in <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!648578~!14&amp;ri=8&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=stage+door&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8"><em>Stage Door</em></a> it was Katharine Hepburn and Rogers, while in <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!9842~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=10&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Room+service+%5BDVD%5D+%3B+At+the+circus+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Room Service</em></a> she backed the Marx Bros. By the late thirties, Ball was being cast in female leads, but most of these were “B” pictures, those films shown as the bottom half of a double bill (the “A” picture being the one starring bigger names and having better production values). She appeared in numerous comedies and musicals throughout the thirties and forties such as <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1094409~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Du+Barry+was+a+lady&amp;index=PALLTI">Du Barry Was a Lady</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!714229~!5&amp;ri=15&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=best+foot+forward&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=15">Best Foot Forward</a>, Sorrowful Jones</em>, and <em>Miss Grant Takes Richmond</em>. Yet her best roles during that period may have been in three of the several thrillers in which she starred: <em>Five Came Back, The Dark Corner</em>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1272168~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=30&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Lured&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Lured</em></a>. It wasn’t until the overwhelming success of her sitcom <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1N1106889F522.5204&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=i+love+lucy&amp;x=10&amp;y=10&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>I Love Lucy</em></a>, which debuted in 1951, that Ball became so exclusively tied to comedy.</p>
<p>In contrast to Ball’s earlier experience of acting in a wide array of genres, Louis-Dreyfus, a petite, youthful-looking&nbsp;brunette, established herself as a comedienne from the very beginning of her career. Louis-Dreyfus was studying acting at Northwestern University when she received an offer to join The Practical Theatre Company, a troupe recently created by other Northwestern students. She jumped at the offer, dropped out of school, and was soon starring in the company’s comedy shows. When NBC implemented a partial retooling of the&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=saturday+night+live&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Saturday Night Live</em></a> cast in 1982, they came to Chicago to scout talent. Instead of hiring from the ranks of The Second City troupe, from whence many previous <em>SNL</em> performers had cut their comedy teeth, they filled all three available slots by nabbing Brad Hall, Gary Kroeger, and Louis-Dreyfus from the ranks of The Practical Theatre Company. Louis-Dreyfus spent three years on the sketch comedy show before leaving in 1985.</p>
<p>The careers of both Ball and Louis-Dreyfus have been buoyed by a savvy spouse – though the former clearly more so than the latter – also directly involved in show business. For Ball, it was Desi Arnaz, a Cuban-born bandleader who was foremost in creating the congo craze in America. In 1940, when Hollywood hired Arnaz to appear in his first movie, <em>Too Many Girls</em>, he met Ball on the set. They wed later that year and thus began a passionate, often tumultuous, and ultimately failed twenty-year marriage, though one that made them both multi-millionaires. Together, they created Desilu Productions in 1950 for the purpose of giving themselves a chance to work together regularly. They both had considerable show business acumen, which accounts for the immediate and ongoing success of <em>I Love Lucy</em>.</p>
<p>It was Arnaz, however, who gets credit for insisting - over the objections of CBS executives - that <em>I Love Lucy</em> be filmed and edited like a movie in Hollywood, rather than broadcast live from New York City, as was customary. At the time, the East Coast and <img alt="The cover for &quot;I Love Lucy, The Complete Sixth Season on DVD.&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/I%20Love%20Lucy%206_0.jpg" style="float:left; height:275px; margin:5px; width:193px" />Midwest received the live network feed, while the rest of the country received a Kinescope of that performance a full week later. Early TV cameras didn’t produce a high-quality image to begin with, but a Kinescope – the filming of a broadcast off a TV monitor – was much worse. CBS balked at the extra production costs filming would entail. The network didn’t agree to Arnaz’ plan until he and Ball accepted pay cuts to offset the added expense, but in exchange for the duo being granted the show’s off-network resale rights. Unwisely, CBS agreed. The couple quickly got TV’s top-rated show into the still-new syndication market, reaping all of the ongoing profits from the repeats. Arnaz also gets primary credit for turning that single hit show into a major television production company, personally creating and producing several major TV series of the fifties.</p>
<p>Louis-Dreyfus is married to Brad Hall, whom she met while both were students at Northwestern. Hall was one of the founders of The Practical Theatre Company, where Louis-Dreyfus honed her comedic and improvisational skills on the way to joining the cast of <em>SNL</em>. Hall spent two years at <em>SNL</em> himself (most visibly as the anchor of Weekend Update) before giving up acting to concentrate on writing, producing, and helping guide Julia’s career. Among his projects have been the critically-acclaimed, though short-lived, comedy <em>Brooklyn Bridge</em> and the sitcom <em>Watching Ellie</em>, which he created for his wife.</p>
<p>Lucille Ball starred in multiple comedies during her TV career, each bearing the diminutive form of her first name: <em>I Love Lucy, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!30987~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=%22I+love+Lucy.%22+Seasons+7%2C+8+%26+9&amp;index=PDVD">The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=15&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=the+lucy+show&amp;x=8&amp;y=14&amp;aspect=subtab38">The Lucy Show</a></em>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!763604~!1&amp;ri=20&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=here%27s+lucy+dvd&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20"><em>Here’s Lucy</em></a>, and <em>Life with Lucy</em>. She was unmistakably the star of each series. During her nearly uninterrupted quarter-century run on those first four shows, Ball also made guest appearances on several other TV series, but made precious few movies, all of which were also comedies. Although those infrequent film appearances always drew keen public interest, they seldom lived up to expectations. While <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1194930~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=25&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=long%2C+long+trailer+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Long, Long Trailer</em></a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1031869~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=34&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Yours%2C+mine+and+ours&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Yours, Mine and Ours</em></a> are at least watchable, <em>Forever Darling, Critic’s Choice</em>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1093727~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=41&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mame&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Mame</em></a> are just plain embarrassing. Ball starred in a few very routine “movie of the week” type titles (sixty-minute made-for-TV films that aired in seventy-five or ninety-minute time slots during the sixties and seventies), she had better luck with her final telefilm. In a change-of-pace dramatic role, she starred as a bag lady in 1985’s&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1198010~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=43&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Stone+pillow&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Stone Pillow</em></a>,&nbsp;a serious film about the homeless. The next year, Ball was back on weekly TV in <em>Life with Lucy</em>. Unfortunately, it was such a critical and ratings bomb that ABC only aired eight of the thirteen episodes filmed. It proved a sad swansong for the Queen of Comedy. Ball died just two-and-a-half years later.</p>
<p>After <em>SNL</em> Julia Louis-Dreyfus returned to television in a supporting role in the sitcom <em>Day by Day</em>, which ran for one and a half seasons starting in February 1988. After that show’s demise, Louis-Dreyfus was cast in the show that would eventually make her a household name. Originally titled “The Seinfeld Chronicles,” the show’s pilot aired in July 1989 (without Louis-Dreyfus), but wasn’t picked up for the fall season. In fact, the suits at NBC were so unimpressed, that they only ordered four more episodes to continue the first season and didn’t get them on the schedule until the end of May 1990 (with Louis-Dreyfus). As Jerry Seinfeld’s former girlfriend Elaine Benes, Louis-Dreyfus was part of the four-character ensemble at the heart of the show. Even after a better than expected summer run, the network only ordered a twelve-episode second season and didn’t launch it until the next January. The title was later shortened to “Seinfeld” and a midyear fourth-season move from Wednesday to NBC’s “Must-See TV” Thursday blockbuster comedy lineup cemented its popularity. By the end of season five it ranked as TV’s number three show. A year later it was number one and would finish as either the highest or second-highest rated show each of its final four seasons. Since then, Louis-Dreyfus has starred in three series of her own: <em>Watching Ellie, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=46&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=New+adventures+of+old+christine&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">The New Adventures of Old Christine</a></em>, and <em>Veep</em>. While <em>Watching Ellie</em> was not successful (running just two, partial seasons), <em>The New Adventures of Old Christine</em> enjoyed a five-season run. HBO’s <em>Veep</em> has already logged three seasons and will return for season four next April.</p>
<p>Like Ball, Louis-Dreyfus seemingly has been content to work primarily in television. In addition to the five series in which she’s been a regular, she’s also had ongoing or recurring roles in <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=47&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=arrested+development&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Arrested Development</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!33205~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Simpsons.+The+thirteenth+season+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">The Simpsons</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=48&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=curb+your+enthusiasm&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Curb Your Enthusiasm</a></em>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=53&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=PDVD&amp;term=web+therapy&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Web <img alt="The DVD cover for &quot;The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Complete Second Season.&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/The%20New%20Adventures%20of%20Old%20Christine%202_0.jpg" style="float:right; height:275px; margin:5px; width:203px" />Therapy</em></a>, as well as one-time appearances on a variety of other TV programs. Consequently, Louis-Dreyfus has had little opportunity to pursue film roles. In her thirty-plus year career, however, she’s been in such popular movies as <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!7571~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=55&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Hannah+and+her+sisters+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD">Hannah and Her Sisters</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!894826~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=57&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Christmas+vacation&amp;index=PALLTI">Christmas Vacation</a>, Deconstructing Harry, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1363766~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=60&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=A+bug%27s+life&amp;index=PALLTI">A Bug’s Life</a></em>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N41W069230C32.5234&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1452952~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=62&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Enough+said&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Enough Said</em></a>. Unfortunately, for such a limited film oeuvre, she’s been in some unmitigated disasters, as well, including <em>Troll, Soul Man, Jack the Bear, North</em>, and <em>Father’s Day</em>. As most of the film failures were during the earlier part of her career – and as a fan of last year’s <em>Enough Said</em>, who’d enjoy seeing her return to the big screen in similarly good roles – let’s hope that her ever-increasing industry clout will afford her other quality film opportunities, should she seek them. In the meantime, I’m very content to see her continue to thrive on the small screen. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is, after all, The New Queen of Comedy!</p>
<p>The Des Moines Public Library has over 14,000 DVD titles available for checkout in a variety of formats, genres, and languages. DVDs check out for seven days for a two-dollar charge. Go back to our catalog and reserve your choices now!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/sitcoms" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">sitcoms</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">tv</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/comedy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">comedy</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:43:09 +0000Kevin7504 at http://dmpl.orgBubblegum Pop: That Sweet, Sweet Musichttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/bubblegum-pop-sweet-sweet-music
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/The%20Monkees.jpg" width="400" height="400" alt="The CD cover for the The Monkees&#039; self-titled album." title="The Monkees" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Believe it or not, in the first two weeks of its release in mid-July, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140O572I00Q46.2108&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1517037~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Kidz+Bop+26&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Kidz Bop 26</em></a> by Kidz Bop Kids ranked in the top five of the Billboard 200, which compiles the week's top-selling albums across all genres. For the uninitiated, the producers of the Kidz Bop series procure currently popular songs (taking care not to include inappropriate subject matter or lyrics) and rerecord them with child singers. For instance, on the current edition are remakes of such songs as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=OT0863173I785.3301&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!271811~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Williams%2C+Pharrell&amp;index=PZAUTH">Pharrell Williams</a>’ “Happy,” <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=OT0863173I785.3301&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!740794~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Perry%2C+Katy&amp;index=PZAUTH">Katy Perry</a>’s “Dark Horse,” and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=OT0863173I785.3301&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!529754~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Legend%2C+John&amp;index=PZAUTH">John Legend</a>’s “All of Me.” The producers of the series say that they are targeting five to twelve year-old music fans. Well, judging by the surprisingly brisk sales of <em>Kidz Bop 26</em>, they’re right on target. It just goes to show that there’s still a sizeable market for bubblegum pop.</p>
<p>For those of you who are familiar with the term bubblegum pop, you probably recognize it as a somewhat pejorative term. In fact, I'll admit that my use of it above wasn't exactly complimentary. I don't mean to disparage the songs, or even the bubblegum genre as a whole, even though bubblegum pop never strived to be high art. In fact, it was meant to be commercial, very commercial, because from its inception, it was a producer's medium rather than an artist's medium. The music was conceived, created, manipulated and marketed by suits in an office, not by struggling musicians in a garage. Regardless, you can't deny the instant appeal and lighthearted fun of bubblegum pop!</p>
<p>The origin of the genre can be reasonably traced to the 1966-68 TV show <em>The Monkees</em>, NBC’s attempt to create a Beatles-like group for American television that could be marketed across all entertainment formats. The music supervisor for the series’ first season was super-producer Don Kirshner. Super-songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart wrote the ultra-catchy theme song, which was among thirty songs the prolific duo penned for the show. Like the early work of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!37089~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=50&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Beatles&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Beatles</a>, which charmed music fans across all age demographics, the music of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140O572I00Q46.2108&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!146629~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Monkees+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Monkees</a> was intended to have similar appeal. That’s why the four members of the group had so little input into the music they originally performed. The show’s producers and Kirshner had a very particular – and very calculated – musical formula in mind.</p>
<p>The formula created for <em>The Monkees</em> would serve as the blueprint for bubblegum pop in general. Although bubblegum is still used as a descriptor for a certain style of pop music, it most specifically defines a particular era, roughly 1967-74. The components of that sound were essentially the following:</p>
<ol>
<li>The standard verse-chorus-verse pop song structure became more reliant on the chorus, as in verse-chorus-chorus-verse, or even starting some songs with the chorus;</li>
<li>Subject matter was almost entirely “happy!” and simple, with love songs and novelty songs supplying the bulk of the lyrical load;</li>
<li>Production was state-of-the-art and intentionally glossy, with no room for flubbed notes, impromptu flourishes, or cracking voices;</li>
<li>Instrumentation went beyond the usual lead guitar/bass guitar/drum kit setup, as horns, woodwinds, and strings were commonly added to the musical mix.</li>
</ol>
<p>The series, a madcap comedy about a struggling rock band (there’s some irony for you), became a hit, as did many of The Monkees’ singles, which were plugged weekly in each episode’s musical segment. Those segments utilized a quick editing style that was later emulated by scores of music videos when MTV exploded in the early eighties. In case you think that the series was a silly sixties experiment that no one took seriously, please note that <em>The Monkees</em> won the primetime Emmys for “Outstanding Comedy Series” and “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy” following its first season.</p>
<p>The members of The Monkees, however, quickly grew frustrated with the lack of control they had over their career path. Their objections reached enormous proportions and the series quickly became an unworkable situation, ending after just two seasons. The connection between TV and what soon became known as bubblegum music, however, remained a much-shared history. <em>The Monkees</em> television series quickly became a Saturday morning staple, but the TV/bubblegum pop story was just beginning.</p>
<p>In September 1968, CBS debuted <em>The Archie Show</em> in its Saturday morning lineup. That cartoon version of the venerable comic book <img alt="The CD for Absolutely the Best of the Archies." src="/sites/default/files/Absolutely%20the%20Best%20of%20The%20Archies_2.jpg" style="float:left; height:275px; margin:5px; width:275px" />series was an instant sensation as the animated band known as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!973244~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Archies+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Archies</a> soon started having actual top forty hits. The man behind that success was none other than Don Kirshner, who must've decided that it would be easier to control production and create hits if a large portion of the human element was removed. The Archies cracked the pop charts several times in the next few years, their greatest success being “Sugar, Sugar,” an international hit that spent four weeks at number one in the United States and was the biggest selling single of 1969! Ron Dante, who also had a top ten hit in 1969 with “Tracy” as the voice of the studio group The Cuff Links, performed the lead vocals attributed to Archie and also later fronted the touring version of the group.</p>
<p>Also in September 1968, NBC launched <em>The Banana Splits Adventure Hour</em>, a combination of live-action and animated sequences, on their Saturday morning schedule. The Banana Splits, four actors dressed in animal costumes, had a minor hit with their theme song, "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" during the course of their two seasons. &nbsp;Several other cartoon and live-action Saturday morning TV series jumped on the bubblegum bandwagon. These included <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!835431~!1&amp;ri=7&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=josie+and+the+pussycats&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7"><em>Josie and the Pussycats</em></a> (one of whom was future <em>Charlie’s Angels</em> star Cheryl Ladd), <em>Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp</em> (whose in-house band was known as Evolution Revolution), and <em>The Osmonds</em>. The Osmond Brothers had been variety show regulars as a barbershop quartet throughout the sixties, but later added younger sibling Donny, were rechristened <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!42425~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=12&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Osmonds+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Osmonds</a>, and began a transition to mainstream rock in the seventies. Concurrently, they supported Donny’s equally successful bubblegum pop career, which produced five top ten hits, including the number one song "Go Away Little Girl" in 1971.</p>
<p>In the meantime, ABC was creating a show based on the success of the musical family <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1008404~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=14&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cowsills+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Cowsills</a>, who had a string of pop hits in the mid- to late-sixties. The producers originally toyed with the idea of having The Cowsills play themselves, but due to their acting inexperience and the fact that they were a little too old to play the roles as scripted, they scrapped that idea and hired actor/singers. The resulting show was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1130935~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=52&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Partridge+family.+The+complete+first+season+come+on+get+happy.&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Partridge Family</em></a>, starring Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, both of whom were the only cast members to appear on the resulting recordings. <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!637494~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Partridge+Family+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Partridge Family</a> had seven top forty hits, one of which (“l Think I Love You") topped the charts. One episode of the series served as a pilot for a spin-off called <em>Getting Together</em>, with Bobby Sherman and West Stern portraying a songwriting duo said to be loosely based on the aforementioned team of Boyce and Hart. Sherman was one of the reigning teen idols of the day, a frequent TV series regular (<em>Shindig!</em> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!689749~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sherman%2C+Bobby&amp;index=PZAUTH"><em>Here Come the Brides</em></a>), and TV guest star who had a healthy streak of bubblegum pop hits in the late-sixties and early seventies, including “Little Woman”&nbsp;and&nbsp;“Julie, Do Ya Love Me.”</p>
<p>Not all of the bubblegum pop stars parlayed singing into acting, or vice versa. <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!842983~!1&amp;ri=27&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Roe,+Tommy&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=27">Tommy Roe</a>, whose career got off to a bang with the rockabilly chart topper “Sheila” in 1962, went softer as the decade progressed. He became one of the biggest bubblegum practitioners in the latter half of the sixties with such hits as “Sweet Pea,” “Hooray for Hazel,” and “Dizzy.” All of those single made the top ten, with the latter reaching the dizzying heights of number one.</p>
<p>Producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, whose Super K Productions were a major force in popularizing the pop subgenre, claim to have originated the term bubblegum pop. Kasenetz and Katz ran an assembly-line for producing ultra-poppy singles. Although they did hire bands (often changing their names) to actively tour their songs, most of the creative work was done by staff writers, session musicians, and unknown singers. One of the latter was Joey Levine, a young singer-songwriter-producer who ended up as the lead singer for several of Super K’s major hits, including four by The Ohio Express (including “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy”), as well as one by the Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus (“Quick Joey Small”). Super K also had hits with <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!884223~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=40&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Bubble+gum+world+--&amp;index=PALLTI">1910 Fruitgum Company</a> (including "Simon Says") and Crazy Elephant ("Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'"), among others.</p>
<p>In England, singer Tony Burrows figured out the bubblegum pop formula, too. Burrows, usually in collaboration with songwriters-producers Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook and/or John Carter, hit the charts several times in the early seventies, but with different bands. Burrows was the lead singer for The Brotherhood of Man’s “United We Stand,” Edison Lighthouse's “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes),” White Plains' “My Baby Loves Lovin',” The Pipkins' “Gimme Dat Ding,” and The First Class' “Beach Baby.” Some of those groups were actual working bands, while others were studio only.</p>
<p>By mid-1974, the original bubblegum pop era had gone stale. That’s not to say, however, that bubblegum pop doesn’t continue to <img alt="The CD cover for 25 All-Time Greatest Bubblegum Hits." src="/sites/default/files/25%20All-Time%20Greatest%20Bubblegum%20Hits.jpg" style="float:right; height:275px; margin:5px; width:275px" />this day. A spate of artists have&nbsp;periodically revived the sweet subgenre through the years. The Bay City Rollers, Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!182827~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=56&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=New+Kids+on+the+Block&amp;index=PZAUTH">New Kids on the Block</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!177200~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=60&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tiffany%2C+1971-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Tiffany</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!854150~!1&amp;ri=63&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Gibson,+Debbie,+1970-&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=63">Debbie Gibson</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!256365~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=65&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Backstreet+Boys&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Backstreet Boys</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!257122~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=67&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Spice+Girls&amp;index=PZAUTH">Spice Girls</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!264928~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=69&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Spears%2C+Britney&amp;index=PZAUTH">Britney Spears</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!265286~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=71&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=98%C2%B0+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">98 Degrees</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!263967~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=73&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=%27N+Sync+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">*NSYNC</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!236444~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=75&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Duff%2C+Hilary%2C+1987-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Hilary Duff</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!705185~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=77&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jonas+Brothers&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Jonas Brothers</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!925992~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=79&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=One+Direction+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">One Direction</a>, among others, are all basically&nbsp;bubblegum pop acts served up in new flavors. The (sugary) beat goes on! For a handy dandy overview of the bubblegum pop era, try the disc <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!866735~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=36&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=25+all-time+greatest+bubblegum+hits&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>25 All-Time Greatest Bubblegum Hits</em></a>, or <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140857YYD8903.2127&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!320281~!16&amp;ri=48&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=bubble+gum&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=48"><em>Yummy Yummy Yummy: The Best of Bubble Gum Music</em></a>,&nbsp;which – like the many linked items above – are available at the Des Moines Public Library, so check one&nbsp;out and chew on that&nbsp;for a while!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/bubblegum-pop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">bubblegum pop</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">music</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Wed, 20 Aug 2014 20:01:49 +0000Kevin7061 at http://dmpl.orgTime Is of the Essence, Reallyhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/time-essence-really
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/24%20Season%20One.jpg" width="210" height="300" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>One of my favorite TV shows of the last decade was the Fox drama <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14Y63O6947X90.56069&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=24+dvd+season+kiefer&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>24</em></a>, which ran for eight seasons and was recently revived as <em>24: Live Another Day</em>. The cool thing about that series was that it was shot in “real time,” meaning that each episode was meant to depict the same amount of narrative time as it took to watch it – minus commercials, of course. The value of using the real time device is that it creates an underlying tension that helps propel the narrative. Every tiny moment, every little action takes on added significance. That means that a filmmaker attempting to mirror real time had better have a tightly plotted script to make the trick pay off. Real time movies are all about pacing and concision. For instance, a real time film showing two guys playing chess probably wouldn’t hold interest for most viewers, but an edgy dramatic story or a wacky comic situation amped up with real time probably will.</p>
<p>As for <em>24</em>, I’ll grant you that there were plenty of logical implausibilities in forcing a major political crisis (sometimes two) into twenty-four, hour-long, neatly-packaged episodes each season. The action, however, was delivered at such breakneck pace – frequently underscored by the use of a ticking digital clock – that it didn’t give you much time to think about the flaws. I’m talking about things like people constantly traversing Los Angeles by car in the space of a commercial break, or Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer character never stopping to use a restroom or getting a bite to eat (it’s no wonder he always seemed so irritable!). Flaws and all, however, it was just big action-crammed fun!</p>
<p>A year after <em>24</em> premiered, NBC tried using the real time gimmick for a half-hour sitcom starring popular comic actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. <em>Watching Ellie</em> ran for two seasons, but only the first was filmed as a real time series. The network was so disappointed with the results of that first season, however, that it never aired three of the thirteen episodes that had been shot. When it returned a year later, it had dropped the real time angle, but to no avail, as NBC cancelled it after just six new episodes. To my knowledge, <em>24</em> and <em>Watching Ellie</em> are the only two scripted shows ever to appear on American network television that attempted to film every episode of an entire season in real time.</p>
<p>Single episodes of American TV shows, on the other hand, have been shot to reflect real time on numerous occasions. Quite obviously, it’s far easier to employ the real time stunt for a single half-hour or hour television episode than it is to film an entire series that way. Among the many TV series that have used the device for individual episodes are <em>M*A*S*H</em> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14063G7WM9651.56102&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1475274~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=M*A*S*H.+Season+eight&amp;index=PALLTI">“Life Time,”</a> the eleventh episode of season eight), <em>Seinfeld</em> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14H6P17334697.56095&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!973146~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Seinfeld.+Seasons+1+%26+2&amp;index=PALLTI">"The Chinese Restaurant,”</a> the eleventh episode of season two), <em>Frasier</em> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1406D175O898Y.56104&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1146982~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Frasier.+The+complete+first+season&amp;index=PALLTI">“My Coffee with Niles,”</a> the twenty-fourth episode of season one, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631DC59418.56114&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1159483~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Frasier.+The+complete+sixth+season&amp;index=PALLTI">“Dinner Party,”</a> the seventeenth episode of season six), <em>Friends</em> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=I406M176K6695.56119&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!967733~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Friends.+The+complete+third+season&amp;index=PALLTI">“The One Where No One's Ready,”</a> the second episode of season three), <em>The X-Files</em> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14M631E77C896.56123&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1194944~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+X+files.+Season+six&amp;index=PALLTI">“Triangle,”</a> the third episode of season six), and <em>Stargate: Atlantis</em> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1406P1K858377.56128&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1410251~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Stargate+Atlantis.+Season+1&amp;index=PALLTI">“Thirty-Eight Minutes,”</a> the fourth episode of season one).</p>
<p>The very first feature film to be shot in real time may be the 1936 movie <em>90 Minutes Stop</em> (or <em>Neunzig Minuten Aufenthalt</em> in the original German), directed by and starring Harry Piel. The plot concerns a criminal investigator from Berlin and a Scotland Yard inspector who are traveling to Buenos Aires, Argentina to attend a boxing competition. They meet up in Lisbon, Portugal, where they will board an ocean liner for the trans-Atlantic crossing. In the brief hour and a half they have between their arrival and departure, they meet a young woman whose uncle has been murdered. The detectives then race to solve the crime before their ship leaves. Piel, who played the Berliner, was a major star of German cinema during the teens, twenties, and thirties. Unfortunately, he was also a Nazi and a patron member (financial supporter) of the SS. After the fall of Germany in 1945, the allies sentenced him to six months detention and five years professional disqualification, from which his career never really recovered.</p>
<p>Possibly the first American narrative film to be shot in real time was director Alfred Hitchcock’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1406X179628J8.56142&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!909609~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Rope&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Rope</em></a>, released in 1948. <em>Rope</em> is about a thrill kill perpetrated by two college classmates on a third whom they consider their intellectual inferior. With his corpse stuffed into a trunk, the overconfident killers throw a dinner party in which they use the unlocked trunk as a table to serve their unsuspecting guests. James Stewart stars as a party guest, a prep school instructor who had previously taught the three boys. This murder mystery also has a second cinematic distinction: it was edited to appear as if it was shot in one long, continuous take, which was physically impossible to do at the time using 35mm film.</p>
<p>In the following year of 1949, Robert Wise directed the taut boxing drama <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631799F6E8.56145&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1208132~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+set-up&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Set-Up</em></a>, with an intense performance by Robert Ryan <img alt="The DVD cover for the Robert Wise film The Set-Up." src="/sites/default/files/The%20Set-Up.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:210px" />as a washed-up pugilist who’s still looking to win one more big fight, unaware that everyone around him is working against him. In 1952, Gary Cooper delivered one of his most iconic roles portraying Marshal Will Kane, a man whose strict moral code prevents him from taking the easy way out, in the Fred Zinnemann western <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S0631805C3B0.56147&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!896993~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=High+noon&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>High Noon</em></a>. The brief opening and closing segments of the 1957 jury room drama <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631809PY73.56149&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1013237~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=12+angry+men&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>12 Angry Men</em></a> weren't filmed in real time, but the rest of the picture was, so it makes the list. Shot on a shoestring budget with a cast of unknown Broadway actors in supporting roles alongside star Henry Fonda, <em>12 Angry Men</em> immediately established TV director Sidney Lumet in the world of film. Surprisingly, after those four classics, there wasn’t another major American movie shot in real time for nearly thirty years!</p>
<p>In between the fifties and eighties, however, there was a handful of foreign and low-budget American real time films. One really worth seeking out is French director Agnès Varda’s <em>Cleo from 5 to 7</em> (1962), which, despite the title, only lasts ninety minutes. A year later, <em>The Sadist</em> appeared, a better-than-average drive-in flick starring cult-figure Arch Hall Jr. Another low-budget movie (filmed just as Richard Dreyfuss was on the verge of stardom – released before <em>Jaws</em> in Europe, but after it here) was <em>Inserts</em>. It’s a period piece about a young Hollywood director whose initial industry success in the silent era ended with the coming of sound, resulting in his being reduced to making stag films by the early thirties.</p>
<p>In 1981, an independent film starring a pair of relatively unknown playwright/actors garnered a surprising amount of attention. In <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1406H181710J4.56156&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!888511~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=My+dinner+with+Andr%C3%A9&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>My Dinner with </em>André</a>, Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory meet at a restaurant, then eat and talk for the remaining length of the movie. <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14063I826523P.56165&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1059127~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Clue&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Clue</em></a>, based on the popular board game, finally broke the long, real time movie drought at Hollywood studios in 1985. Blessed with a talented comic cast, that mystery farce also had a distinction that is perhaps unique in the history of film distribution: it was simultaneously released with three different endings!</p>
<p>Another decade passed before Hollywood began employing the real time gambit regularly. Starting in 1995 with <em>Nick of Time</em>, Tinseltown has released a number of mostly undistinguished crime dramas shot “on the clock.” In addition to <em>Nick of Time</em>, these include <em>Running Time</em> (1997), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14C6318M4657O.56176&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!938540~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Phone+booth&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Phone Booth</em></a> (2002), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=I406318478MM0.56184&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1046963~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=16+blocks&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>16 Blocks</em></a> (2006), and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631XU12069.56186&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1129684~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=88+minutes&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>88 Minutes</em></a> (2008), as well as the Canadian-made comic crime drama <em>Real Time</em> (2008). In 2011, the horror genre, which often uses extended sequences reflecting real time, had an entire film dedicated to the narrative technique with <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631XU12069.56186&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1314144~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Silent+house&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Silent House</em></a>.&nbsp;That movie, like <em>Rope,</em> was edited to appear as if shot in one continuous take. Unfortunately, the results were mediocre on both counts.</p>
<p>Most of the best uses of real time have been in movies with higher aspirations. One of these was Mike Figgis’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631XU12069.56186&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1017841~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Time+code&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Timecode</em></a> (2000), which splits the frame into four synchronized quadrants, with characters from one quadrant occasionally interacting with characters from another. It was a brave and noteworthy experiment, but ultimately fell short of its ambitions due to its own visually chaotic nature. Still, it’s worth seeing once. Likewise, 2002’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631XU12069.56186&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!947734~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Russian+ark&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Russian Ark</em></a>, is a grand experiment. That Russian-language film was actually shot (thanks to the wonders of modern digital filmmaking) in one continuous take. Lensed in St. Petersburg’s Hermitage museum utilizing hundreds of actors in dozens of rooms, it’s an impressive logistical accomplishment. The fantastical narrative, however, isn’t likely to win over all viewers.</p>
<p>As I’ve discussed the work of filmmaker Richard Linklater in a previous post, I’ll only mention his two real time movies – <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631XU12069.56186&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!902504~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tape&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Tape</em></a> (2001) <img alt="The DVD cover for the Paul Greengrass film United 93." src="/sites/default/files/United%2093.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:214px" />and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631XU12069.56186&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!979688~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Before+sunset&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Before Sunset</em></a> (2004) – and again recommend that you see them. Another great real time movie of recent vintage is Paul Greengrass’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140631XU12069.56186&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1055284~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=15&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=United+93&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>United 93</em></a> (2006), a straightforward recounting of the United Flight 93 hijacking on 9/11, which was foiled by the passengers, but still ended in tragedy. It is eerily realistic in that the “heroes” are simply average people trying to step up in a crisis situation, while the hijackers are similarly average people, just ones who believe that their horrific actions are justified. I haven’t had the opportunity to see <em>The Death of Mr. Lazarescu</em> yet (though I do have it on order!), but I understand that that 2005 Romanian film, a very dark comedic look at the final ninety minutes of a man’s life, is one of the best eastern European films of the last decade.</p>
<p>If you haven’t enjoyed the experience of watching TV shows or movies depicting real time, consider giving them a shot. Check out a few DVDs from the Des Moines Public Library and keep it “real.”</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/real-time" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Real time</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Fri, 25 Jul 2014 19:51:36 +0000Kevin6747 at http://dmpl.org"Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”: SNL and the Sketch Comedyhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/live-new-york-it%E2%80%99s-saturday-night%E2%80%9D-snl-and-sketch-comedy
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Saturday%20Night%20Live.jpg" width="280" height="400" alt="This is the DVD cover for the first season of Saturday Night Live." title="SNL. The complete first season, 1975-1976" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>“Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” Those words have been shouted to late night TV viewers ever since <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1404761K6X77E.50957&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=saturday+night+live+dvd+nbc&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Saturday Night Live</em></a> debuted on October 11, 1975. That phrase, delivered by either a cast member or guest, is followed by the voice of venerable announcer Don Pardo, who enthusiastically declares “It’s Saturday Night Live,” before naming the musical guest and introducing the week’s host, who will preside over ninety minutes of barely controlled craziness. Pardo, an NBC staff announcer since starting with the network’s radio operation in 1944, has taken part in more episodes of the irreverent sketch-comedy than any other individual (he was only absent from the seventh season). At 96 years of age, though otherwise retired in Arizona, he still tapes his segments in his home studio for each new episode.</p>
<p>Originally, Pardo’s first line was “It’s <em>NBC’s Saturday Night</em>!” which is what the show was called its first two seasons. The reason for that was because ABC had a primetime variety show titled <em>Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell</em>, which had debuted just weeks earlier. As a result, ABC had the rights to the name <em>Saturday Night Live</em>, a shortened version of their show’s title that the network often used on air. The Cosell show, however, was a disaster both in terms of viewership numbers and critical reception. Consequently, it met a quick demise, ending in January 1976. Eventually, NBC purchased the rights to the <em>Saturday Night Live</em> name and retitled their show beginning with the episode that aired March 26, 1977.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, the connection between the two shows doesn’t end with the name. Cosell’s show was usually loaded with big name guest stars – though it seemed as though they were often booked because they had some connection with Cosell, rather for any talents that easily translated to a variety show format, but it also featured a small cadre of young comics known as the Prime Time Players. Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Christopher Guest, all of whom would later work on NBC’s <em>Saturday Night Live</em>, were the members of that troupe. In response, <em>SNL</em> executive producer Lorne Michaels dubbed the original cast of his NBC show the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. That group, with minor variations, consisted of Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase (who was replaced in the second season by Bill Murray), Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner, and continued as the core cast for the series’ first five seasons.</p>
<p><em>Saturday Night Live</em>, which started with just a six-episode commitment from NBC, was initially conceived as a standard variety show, but targeted to a younger demographic than was typical for the genre. In fact, some early episodes were top-heavy with musical guests, sequences with Muppets created especially for the show by Jim Henson (these actually continued through the start of the second season), and short films by Albert Brooks, with very brief appearances by the Not Ready for Prime Players. Satisfied enough with the way things were going, NBC extended the run. By midseason, however, the program was clearly morphing from a variety show into the sketch-comedy show that became its regular format. Although musical guests and short films continue to be regular segments on the show, there’s no question that on <em>SNL</em>, sketch comedy is king.</p>
<p>It’s rather hard for me to grasp the fact that <em>Saturday Night Live</em> will be entering its fortieth season this fall. It’s been a viewing choice for most of my life. Even more jarring is the thought that approximately half of all Americans have lived their entire lives while the series has been in production. The show has certainly had its share of ups and downs – and, believe me, some of the downs have been as low as the ups have been high, but <em>SNL</em> has persevered through it all, becoming an institution in the process. I find that particularly ironic, of course, as there wasn’t a more anti-establishment show on the air when it premiered (though here’s a shout out to <em>Rowan &amp; Martin’s Laugh-In</em>, a sketch-comedy of the late-sixties/early-seventies that skewered just as many sacred cows during its six-year primetime run as <em>SNL</em>).</p>
<p>The definitions for “variety show” and “sketch-comedy” have a lot of overlap. Some examples of variety programs are very obvious, the most famous being <em>The Ed Sullivan Show</em>, the long-running Sunday night fixture on CBS that had musicians of all types, standup comedy, dramatic recitations, puppetry, specialty acts, and sketch comedy. From the early-fifties through the early-seventies, the primetime schedules of the broadcast networks were dotted with such variety shows, though some leaned far more toward comedy than to the other elements. By the mid-seventies, however, variety shows were few and far between. My own theory is that the ever-increasing number of talk shows during the sixties and seventies, both late night and daytime, subsumed so many aspects of variety shows that the once-flourishing genre was undercut by the burgeoning new hybrid of interview program and variety show known as the talk show.</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s any question that a program like <em>Rowan &amp; Martin’s Laugh-In</em>, which may be cited as the first successful sketch-comedy series owes a debt to such earlier comic luminaries as Sid Caesar, Steve Allen, Garry Moore, and Ernie Kovacs, among <img alt="The DVD cover for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Best of Season 3" src="/sites/default/files/The%20Smothers%20Brothers%20Comedy%20Hour%20Season%203_1.jpg" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:left; height:300px; margin:5px; width:221px" />others. Unfortunately, it’s all but impossible to see more than a few complete episodes of their various variety series – as they either weren’t saved for posterity or haven’t been transferred to modern viewing formats – so it’s difficult to make comparisons. <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1404761K6X77E.50957&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=smothers+brothers+comedy+hour+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour</em></a>, a series that bowed in February 1967 (eight months before <em>Laugh-In</em>), started out as a conventional variety show, but began to transform into a counter-culture favorite as it featured increasing amounts of anti-establishment content. A few years later when the show was cancelled, it wasn’t due to low ratings, but because CBS management felt it was too controversial. Also worth noting is <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1404761K6X77E.50957&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=monty+python%27s+flying+circus+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Monty Python’s Flying Circus</em></a>, which premiered in Britain in 1969, but wasn’t released in the United States until mid-1974, when it was picked up by an ad hoc network of PBS affiliates.</p>
<p>Which brings us back to <em>Saturday Night Live</em>. So what made <em>SNL</em> different from any of the comedy shows preceding it that also relied heavily on sketch comedy? The one major difference that <em>SNL</em> had going for it was that it was in a late night time slot. The ramifications of that, however, were many. For one, it meant that it needn’t be family friendly, so there was no requirement to appeal to small children or older adults. Therefore, it could target the young and the hip, so its particular comedic take on the world was one likely already shared by a certain narrower demographic. For another, network censors were somewhat less restrictive for a late night, weekend show than for prime time programming, meaning that the writers could try to get away with a little more. And finally, with a smaller available audience (and fewer advertiser dollars at stake), there was less on the line for the network, so the creative talent had more time to develop the show on the fly without an overriding fear of a quick hook.</p>
<p><em>Saturday Night Live</em>’s success, of course, meant that there would be imitators. In April 1980, ABC introduced <em>Fridays</em>, an almost exact copy of <em>SNL</em>: a sketch comedy, shot live, with a mock news telecast, and musical guests. <em>Fridays</em> was immediately lambasted by critics for being the <em>SNL</em> ripoff that it was, and it didn’t help that it got off to a slow start. Let’s not forget, however, that <em>SNL</em> had gotten off to a slow start itself, taking about a half season to establish its ultimately successful format. Add to that, that when <em>Fridays</em> debuted, SNL was just finishing the five-year run of its immensely popular original cast. The sketch comedy bar was then set at a level that even subsequent <em>Saturday Night Live</em> casts couldn’t come close to reaching during the following five years. Although ABC pulled the plug on <em>Fridays</em> after three seasons, many other sketch comedy shows have come along since, each trying to catch a little of the lightning in a bottle that <em>SNL</em> had captured before them. Here’s a list of some of the better sketch comedy series that have appeared in the wake of <em>Saturday Night Live</em>, which are in the collection of the Des Moines Public Library.</p>
<p>The Canadian-shot <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1404761K6X77E.50957&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=56&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=sctv+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>SCTV</em></a>&nbsp;was initially syndicated in the United States in the late seventies, but became a part of NBC’s regular weekend late night-programming during the early eighties.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1404761K6X77E.50957&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=12&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=kids+in+the+hall+dvd+lorne&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em><img alt="The DVD cover for The Kids in the Hall, Season Two." src="/sites/default/files/The%20Kids%20in%20the%20Hall%2C%20Season%20Two.jpg" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:212px" />The Kids in the Hall</em></a> was another Canadian-produced series, a half-hour show with an all-male cast (yes, they played most of the female roles, too), which was later shown on HBO and CBS in the early 1990s.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1404761K6X77E.50957&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=in+living+color+dvd+season&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>In Living Color</em></a>&nbsp; – perhaps the first sketch comedy starring a predominantly African-American cast – was a half-hour series that was a part of the Fox primetime lineup from 1990-1994.</p>
<p>Appearing on Fox during the 1992-1993 season,&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1404761K6X77E.50957&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!951059~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=21&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Ben+Stiller+show&amp;index=PALLTI" style="line-height: 1.6em;"><em>The Ben Stiller Show</em></a> was cancelled after only twelve of thirteen episodes had aired; nevertheless, it later won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1404761K6X77E.50957&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1509483~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=23&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=MR.+SHOW+COMPLETE+COLLECTION+%28DVD%29&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Mr. Show with Bob and David</em></a> starred Bob Odenkirk and David Cross in a half-hour program shown on HBO for four seasons in the late nineties.</p>
<p>Dave Chappelle lent his name to the half-hour <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1404761K6X77E.50957&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=26&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=the+chappelle+show+dvd&amp;x=9&amp;y=16&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>The Chappelle Show</em></a>, which he hosted and starred in for two full and one partial season on Comedy Central during the early 2000s.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/sketch-comedy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">sketch comedy</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/variety-show" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">variety show</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Mon, 07 Jul 2014 19:32:36 +0000Kevin6427 at http://dmpl.orgArtificial Intelligence: Humankind's Future or Our End?http://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/artificial-intelligence-humankinds-future-or-our-end
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/WarGames.jpg" width="210" height="300" alt="DVD cover of the John Badham film WarGames" title="WarGames" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Three years ago, as I sat waiting at the doctor’s office, I riffled through the amalgamation of well-worn magazines strewn upon a table until one caught my eye. What jumped out at me was an issue of <em>Time</em> with a cover story titled <a href="http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&amp;sid=f49600d5-1fa2-488c-bc56-4a440abef0b3%40sessionmgr111&amp;hid=124&amp;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&amp;AN=58585916">“Sin·gu·lar·i·ty.”</a> I had no idea what that word meant, but it was presented with such intention on the cover that I figured that I’d better find out. As defined in the <em>Time</em> article, a singularity is “The moment when technological change becomes so rapid and profound, it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history.” The article discussed the increasingly popular notion that we are approaching a new singularity in which artificial intelligence may usurp humankind’s supremacy in the world. The real subject of the piece, however,&nbsp;was Ray Kurzweil, a renowned inventor, engineer, author, speaker, and futurist. I found the article absolutely fascinating, followed it up with some additional reading, and have found myself ruminating on it numerous times since.</p>
<p>Kurzweil didn’t formulate the notion of a technological singularity, but at this moment, he is the person most associated with the concept. He has written several books on the subject, produced a movie, and given hundreds of lectures about what he feels will be the next major evolution of life on this planet. Simply put, the coming singularity will be&nbsp;the point when computers will have greater intelligence than humans. That, of course, depends on whether computers will truly be capable of developing artificial intelligence, an outcome&nbsp;that many scientists are currently working to make happen&nbsp;and expect to see occur&nbsp;within the next twenty years. Kurzweil predicts that the coming singularity will occur in 2045, when the quantity of artificial intelligence created is expected to be about a billion times the amount of all human intelligence currently.</p>
<p>Kurzweil believes that computers will ultimately be better able to program their own further development (and do it <em>much</em> faster) than humans will be able to do. The result will be an artificial super intelligence capable of solving most or all of humankind’s problems. At that point, Kurzweil feels it will oblige humankind to embrace that technology internally, becoming a biological/technological hybrid. For his part, he is doing everything he can to stay alive long enough to see it happen (he’ll be 97 in 2045) by adhering to a strict diet and consuming an extraordinary number of supplements daily. Kurzweil thinks that this super intelligence will be the key to making man immortal, with literally millions of nanocomputers coursing through the human body, killing diseases, preventing atrophy, and improving brain function. Beyond the cybergenetic era, he sees a day when a person’s memories will be downloaded to a computer chip that will also control ongoing brain operation. Without any question, Kurzweil envisions a rosy future for humankind, or whatever you call this future evolutionary phase.</p>
<p>While Kurzweil has his share of followers, many scientists take issue with his claims and predictions. Some regard a technological singularity as thoroughly implausible, or downright impossible. They cite too many variables, some probably not even in the picture yet, for any single pathway of evolutionary movement. Or, they state that Kurzweil’s previous predictions have often proved wrong, or only partially correct, so that his track record is suspect. While others, still, have their own vision of the future, which differ drastically from that of Kurzweil’s.</p>
<p>And then there are those who believe that a lot of what Kurzweil says will likely come to pass, but don’t see it as rosy. Instead, they fear for a future earth in which artificial intelligence usurps man’s position of superiority. Evolved computers (or evolving computers, as there’s no reason to expect the process to stop, short of the laws of physics) may likely formulate their own goals that aren’t in sync with those of their human creators. Critics of Kurzweil’s utopian future worry that computers may instead create a dystopian future in which humankind is enslaved, or worse yet, annihilated due to our position as a competitor for the earth’s resources. Many books have been written and numerous movies have been made that pit man against his own technological creations, computers with artificial intelligence.</p>
<p>Basically, artificial intelligence takes either of two forms in films. One is as robots (android or mechanically mobile), while the other is as stationary mainframe computers. This discussion assumes the understanding that artificial intelligence is a product of machines, not of genetically engineered organic robots, whose tissues would be expected to have a predisposition to intellectual and/or emotional evolution. Therefore, director Ridley Scott’s dazzling, if flawed <a href="http://libhip.desmoineslibrary.com/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14N24Q58946U7.61109&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=blade+runner+dvd&amp;x=7&amp;y=14&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Blade Runner</em></a>, which deals with human-looking biologically created “replicants,” is outside the realm of this survey.</p>
<p>Dozens of movies have featured robots as main or subsidiary characters dating at least as far back as German director Fritz Lang’s 1927 futuristic classic <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14024GA036381.61152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1015285~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Metropolis&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Metropolis</em></a> from 1927, which featured a female robot with bad intentions, if not actual self-awareness. Most often, however, robots are nonthreatening and/or helpful to humans. For instance, fifties icon Robbie the Robot from <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14024GA036381.61152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1222222~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Forbidden+planet&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Forbidden Planet</em></a>, RD-2D and C-3PO from the <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14024GA036381.61152&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=star+wars+dvd+george+lucas&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Star Wars</em></a> saga, Bishop from <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14024GA036381.61152&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=21&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=aliens+dvd+brandywine+cameron&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Aliens</em></a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14024GA036381.61152&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=36&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=+alien+quadrilogy&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Alien³</em></a>, Lt. Commander Data from <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14024GA036381.61152&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=38&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=star+trek+the+next+generation+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Star Trek: The Next Generation</em></a> TV series and its <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14024GA036381.61152&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!851017~!3&amp;ri=39&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=star+trek+the+next+generation+dvd&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=39">movie sequels</a>, as well as the titular characters from <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!857461~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+iron+giant&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Iron Giant</em></a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1137573~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=WALL-E&amp;index=PALLTI">WALL-E</a> all fall into that category.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, few films have cast robots as primary antagonists. Among those that have are <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=the+day+the+earth+stood+still+dvd&amp;x=8&amp;y=9&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>The Day the Earth Stood Still</em></a> (1951 and 2008), <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=terminator+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>The Terminator</em></a> franchise, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!977805~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=I%2C+robot&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>I, Robot</em></a> (2004). As vicious and relentless as any zombie, they’re also faster, smarter, and sturdier than any human. Individually, and as a group, these robots are among the most terrifying villains in modern movie history. That’s why it’s such a wonder that there haven’t been many more, though online sources indicate that an <em>I, Robot</em> sequel may still be in the works. And, of course, we can expect to see at least one more <em>Transformers</em> film this summer, though the robots in that series inhabit both sides of the good/evil fence.</p>
<p>More common than evil robots are evil mainframe computers. Since 1965, when French New Wave director Jean-Luc Goddard made <em>Alphaville</em>, evil computers have been a recurring adversary to humankind in film. Just three years after <em>Alphaville</em>, revered filmmaker Stanley Kubrick made what many consider his masterwork: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!857531~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=2001+a+space+odyssey+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>2001: A Space Odyssey</em></a>. Filled with striking images and bold (if sometimes vague) conceptual leaps, the movie illustrates humankind’s upward evolutionary trajectory. It suggests that man’s use of tools, which helped our genetic ancestors gain the upper hand amongst animals competing for superiority, may ultimately result in the creation of tools capable of subjugating humankind itself.</p>
<p>In 1970, <em>Colossus: The Forbin Project</em> told the story of a U.S. Department of Defense-produced supercomputer intentionally imbued with artificial intelligence and put online, only to discover that the machine (with the aid of a similar Soviet system) was developing its own agenda. Oscar-winning actress Julie Christie graced <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1502845~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=22&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=DEMON+SEED+%28DVD%29&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Demon Seed</em></a>, a 1977 film in which a computer becomes frustrated with its lack of human senses and resolves to impregnate the wife of its creator in order to produce a cyborg version of itself. The unexpected, unconventional endings of both <em>Colossus: The Forbin Project</em> and <em>The Demon Seed</em> reflect the somber, pessimistic mood of the seventies decade in general.</p>
<p>When it was released in early summer 1983, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1139538~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=24&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=WarGames&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>WarGames</em></a> was clearly aimed at attracting a teenage audience with a young Matthew Broderick in the lead. Broderick played a high school gamer who thinks that he’s found a backdoor into a game company’s new product, when he’s actually hacked into a military computer used to determine <img alt="DVD cover of The Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarznenegger" src="/sites/default/files/The%20Terminator.jpg" style="float:left; height:301px; margin:5px; width:211px" />nuclear warhead strikes. After several rounds of games, the computer wants to play for real! A year later, the first of visionary filmmaker James Cameron’s <em>Terminator</em> movie series debuted. While most people associate the terminator robot models T-800 and T-1000 with this franchise, those robots are actually in the service of Skynet, the networked computer system that has battled humankind to the brink of extinction.</p>
<p>In 1999, one of the most influential films of the past quarter century arrived in the form of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!856235~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=26&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Matrix&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Matrix</em></a>. The Wachowski siblings’ nightmarish vision of a future in which a grid of intelligent machines uses humankind as an energy source while pacifying them with false perceptions of reality is constantly referenced in popular culture. It’s a shame that the sequels didn’t attain that same level of achievement.&nbsp; More recently, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1146090~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=28&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Eagle+eye&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Eagle Eye</em></a> (2008) took the route of a national defense supercomputer that believes that it has all the answers. That movie contained more than its share of coincidences and implausibilities, but still retained a minimal level of competence in all departments to register as a pleasing popcorn picture.</p>
<p>And finally, a brief mention of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q0U49788E198.61195&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1494107~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=30&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Her&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Her</em></a>, a film released late last year. Writer-director Spike Jonze’s movie about a man who falls in love with his computer’s operating system, didn’t feature an intentionally malicious artificial intelligence, but one still capable of breaking a person’s heart. Sure, that isn’t anything like humankind being bombed into the Stone Age, but it’s no picnic either. Perhaps <em>Her</em> is a more subtle warning (than those films discussed above) that we must be wary of all advanced technology, even those examples that we think that we love. Generally speaking, technology is a life-enhancing thing, but it simply cannot replace human interaction. Navigate the links above to find titles held in the collection of the Des Moines Public Library, then select a DVD, slip it in your player, and <em>control</em> it with your remote – it’s always wise to keep the upper hand!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/singularity" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">singularity</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/science-fiction" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">science fiction</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/robots" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">robots</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/artificial-intelligence" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">artificial intelligence</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Tue, 10 Jun 2014 21:44:49 +0000Kevin6132 at http://dmpl.orgIt's OK to Like Gilligan's Island (and Other Gimmicky Sixties Sitcoms)http://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/its-ok-gilligans-island-and-other-gimmicky-sixties-sitcoms
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Gilligan%27s%20Island.jpg" width="219" height="301" alt="Here is the DVD cover for season one of Gilligan&#039;s Island." title="Gilligan&#039;s Island" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Back when I attended Mount Vernon High School, there was a history teacher named Dick Peters who everyone loved. I <em>really</em> mean it! Whereas a teacher was really doing well if even a majority of students liked her/him, Mr. Peters was universally loved. As proof of that, he had the honor of receiving the 1987 Iowa Teacher of the Year Award. And, it wasn’t just students who were fond of him, as Mr. Peters was elected mayor of Mount Vernon during that same period. He was one of the most gregarious people I’ve ever known and he always did his best to win you over. For instance, as students filed into his classroom at the beginning of each period, he would individually welcome as many of them as he could.</p>
<p>Mr. Peters loved to tell stories and he also loved to collect them. He was particularly interested in the American West (in fact, one of the classes that he taught was The American West). I remember him telling us that every time he took a vacation out West, he saw it as an opportunity to gather more stories. He described himself as the sort of person who, if he saw an old timer sitting quietly on a bench at a two-pump gas station in some god-forsaken widening in the road, would see it as a prime opportunity to add to his collection. He always asked such strangers if they had a memorable story or two to share. Apparently, many of them did, because Dick Peters was brimming with uniquely engaging and frequently crazy stories from America’s pioneer past.</p>
<p>As a history teacher, Mr. Peters had an amazing ability to connect with his charges, no matter what their level of academic achievement. He often started class by recalling one of those wild stories to segue into the day’s curriculum, surreptitiously grabbing the attention of every student in a way that the assigned material, alone, often could not. He enjoyed telling his stories so much – and he was such a gifted and funny raconteur that the students equally enjoyed hearing them – that some class periods veered off the lesson plan and clearly into storyland. Certain students would purposely try to nudge Mr. Peters off subject. In some cases, I think it became a competition to see who could distract him to a storyland tangent first. Fortunately, most of Mr. Peter’s stories were filled with such splendid detail and worthwhile historical references that students received at least some degree of education whether they realized it or not.</p>
<p>And then there were other stories, ones he just liked to tell. Perhaps the funniest story he ever related was one in which he himself, Dick Peters, was the central protagonist. Dick grew up in a very small town in western Iowa (Orient, I think) with no paved roads at the time. The only sidewalks were the ones that skirted the school, so any kids who owned roller skates had to converge on that concrete to use them. One Saturday, when Dick was among the youngest children there, the older boys started coercing him to accept a dare. The dare was this: he had to climb to the top of the playground slide and, standing up, roll down the slide. He really wanted to fit in with them, so he took the dare. The climbing part was pretty tricky, but once he reached the top, he just took a deep breath and pushed off. Dick slid down in a flash! Instead of stopping at the bottom, however, his great rate of speed sent him soaring through the air. He landed on the ground with a tremendous thud. When the other kids gathered round to congratulate him, they found that Dick wasn’t moving. Scared that their dare may have killed him and fearful of shouldering the blame, the kids scattered and the schoolyard was empty in a scant few seconds. Several minutes later, a woman who lived across the street noticed that the usually busy playground was now curiously deserted, that is, except for one child lying motionless on the ground. She went to investigate and found Dick knocked cold. She revived him and found him to be in great pain. It turns out that he’d broken both wrists upon landing. As a result, Dick ended up with two plaster casts and the embarrassed admiration of all the boys in town for his effort. To hear Dick tell it is to laugh so hard that your belly hurts and tears streak your cheeks. I just hope that my print version does it half the justice as when it’s been delivered verbally – no doubt dozens, if not hundreds, of times – by Dick Peters.</p>
<p>After twenty-three years of teaching at Mount Vernon High School, Mr. Peters, now rechristened Richard E. Peters, became a professor at Cornell College, also in Mount Vernon. He retired a few years ago, was made a professor emeritus, and, last I heard, was still teaching one class a semester. Dick, er, Richard, if my memory has faltered in accurately retelling any of your stories, you have my apologies. I dredge them up at this late date with continued respect and admiration for you.</p>
<p>Mr. Peters sometimes drew upon popular culture to make a point or to augment class discussion. One surprising example is when he explained why sixties sitcom <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=S4N0O15850060.9671&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=gilligan%27s+island+dvd+complete&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Gilligan’s Island</em></a> was the best sitcom ever. Reviled in many quarters as a brainless example of network television at its lowest common denominator worst, and despite lasting only three seasons on CBS, it became one of the most repeated and widely watched shows in television history. Mr. Peters was a fan because, unlike so many other comedies of the time, it wasn’t sentimental, preachy, or self-consciously clever – it was just <em>funny</em>. Many of the laughs are derived from silly slapstick situations and simple wordplay, but it does so expertly. I catch my own boys watching it from time to time and, I have to admit, it holds up pretty well. OK, I realize that for some readers, saying that is enough for them to assert that I have now lost all credibility, but as an avid viewer of <em>Gilligan’s Island</em> in my youth, I’m not going to back off that claim. Despite our continuously maturing tastes and constant intellectual growth, certain things remain near and dear to our hearts. For me, one of those things is <em>Gilligan’s Island</em>, and I might add, I have no less than one Richard E. Peters, Professor of Education Emeritus, in my corner.</p>
<p>In thinking back on <em>Gilligan’s Island</em> and other sixties sitcoms, something pops out at me: the generous number of gimmick-based comedies that were hits during the decade. Every decade has its share of gimmicky shows, but can any other decade claim anywhere near the number that have remained as popular in reruns as those from the sixties? Although those sixties series no longer play as often as they once did, they’re still very much beloved (because&nbsp;they're just <em>funny)</em>.&nbsp;Here are&nbsp;a few that still stand out:</p>
<p><em>Gilligan’s Island</em> – A small sightseeing boat with two crewmen and five passengers gets stranded on an “uncharted desert isle.” Despite myriad opportunities for rescue, Gilligan always fouls them up.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14005D5XC8428.9679&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=bewitched+dvd+complete&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Bewitched</a>/<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1JP0S16059119.9685&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=dream+eden+dvd+barbara&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">I Dream of Jeannie</a></em> – The former features a beautiful, well-meaning witch, while the latter features a beautiful, well-meaning genie, each of whom unintentionally (mostly, anyway) makes miserable the life of the man she loves.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140R5163184N0.9705&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=+get+smart+don+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Get Smart </em></a>– In the golden age of spy movies, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry teamed to create this TV series spoof in which bungling spy Maxwell Smart keeps finding success, in spite of himself.</p>
<p><em><img alt="DVD cover for the second season of Hogan's Heroes." src="/sites/default/files/Hogan%27s%20Heroes.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:210px" /><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14005G64J2C39.9711&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=hogan%27s+heroes+dvd+complete&amp;x=7&amp;y=10&amp;aspect=subtab38">Hogan’s Heroes</a></em> – In a WWII German POW camp, the German soldiers are fools and the Allied prisoners discreetly run the show, using the camp as a base for ongoing sabotage missions.</p>
<p><em>The Addams Family/<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=B4K051655190J.9723&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1093741~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Munsters.+The+complete+first+season&amp;index=PALLTI">The Munsters</a></em> – These series are often mentioned together because they both featured ghoulish families, were introduced within a week of each other, and ended after their second season, but the former had a lot of subversive material and sexual innuendo, while the latter was very innocent and full of slapstick.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14005N6E1P714.9729&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1321388~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Green+acres.+Farm+favorites&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Green Acres</em></a> – A successful New York lawyer and his glamorous, but ditzy Hungarian wife give up the high life for a stab at the good life by buying a farm in an area filled with eccentrics in this often surreal fish-out-of-water comedy.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=14005O6C5A748.9734&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=mister+ed+dvd+young&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Mister Ed</em></a> – Here’s a high concept show if ever there was one: a man owns a talking horse who only talks to him. Zany situations and crazy hijinks ensue. Oh yeah, there’s also his incredibly sexy wife who doesn’t understand why her husband spends so much time in the barn, rather than with her.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=140MF167P5804.9738&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=+beverly+hillbillies+dvd&amp;x=18&amp;y=9&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>The Beverly Hillbillies</em></a>&nbsp;– The biggest hit of the decade was this series about a dirt-poor family of southern hillbillies who suddenly strike it rich when oil is discovered on their property. They take their newfound millions and move to Beverly Hills, California, where&nbsp;the fun begins.</p>
<p>These and other sixties TV favorites are available in the collection of the Des Moines Public Library. Take a trip down memory lane, introduce them to your kids/grandkids, or find out for yourself one of the reasons why the Sensational Sixties were so sensational.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/tv-shows" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">TV shows</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/sitcoms" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">sitcoms</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/television" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">television</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/comedies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">comedies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Sat, 17 May 2014 20:53:26 +0000Kevin5787 at http://dmpl.orgRichard Linklater: "Before," During, and Afterhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/richard-linklater-during-and-after
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Before%20Sunrise.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="The DVD cover for the Richard Linklater film Before Sunrise." title="Before Sunrise" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>One of the greatest thinking person’s film trilogies has got to be writer-director <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=linklater%2C+richard&amp;x=10&amp;y=7&amp;aspect=subtab38">Richard Linklater</a>’s “Before” series, comprising <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!640088~!14&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=linklater,+richard&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1"><em>Before Sunrise</em></a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!640087~!10&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=linklater,+richard&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1"><em>Before Sunset</em></a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!854164~!0&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=linklater,+richard&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1"><em>Before Midnight</em></a>. All three titles star <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1D98O7K346609.12033&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!201608~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Hawke%2C+Ethan%2C+1970-&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Ethan Hawke</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1D98O7K346609.12033&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!241378~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Delpy%2C+Julie%2C+1969-&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Julie Delpy</a>, whose characters chance encounter aboard a train in the first film ultimately shapes their lives. I saw <em>Before Sunrise</em> when it was originally released to theaters in 1995. The film’s story, about a young American tourist (Hawke) and a young French student (Delpy), takes place over the course of a single day, beginning when the two meet aboard a west-bound train from Budapest. He’s traveling to Vienna to catch his flight home, while she’s returning from a family visit on her way back to Paris to continue her studies at the Sorbonne. Their initial connection is magnetic enough for him to suggest that she get off the train with him in Vienna to share a day of sightseeing, as he had planned to walk the city until flying out the next morning. Intrigued enough by the prospect of this unlikely one-day romance, she agrees to his suggestion. What follows is a series of deeply felt conversations about life, love, and future plans set against postcard views of one of Europe’s most picturesque and elegant cities.</p>
<p>While I retained positive, though cloudy, memories of <em>Before Sunrise </em>nearly twenty years on, I’d actually forgotten how captivating it was until I caught it again on TV recently. I’d recorded it so that I could refresh my memory in anticipation of the newest chapter in the story, <em>Before Midnight</em>, which was released last year. My plan was to skip my way through it (just watching enough to get the feel of the movie), but I quickly found that I wanted to watch it fully. As a sort of anti-action movie, it’s the dialogue that completely propels the story forward. Although the leads may be freshly-scrubbed types, their conversations paint them as deep-thinking individuals who question most every aspect of their existence. The actors are winning – even the sometimes inconsistent Ethan Hawke – and the film, though often serious in tone, is utterly charming.</p>
<p>Having reacquainted myself with <em>Before Sunrise</em>, it was time to take another look at <em>Before Sunset</em>. Then something funny happened. Upon reading the synopsis of <em>Before Sunset</em> in the library’s online catalog, I realized that I’d never seen it! With <em>Before Midnight</em> already waiting for me on the Franklin Avenue Library’s hold shelf, I scrambled to find a copy of <em>Before Sunset</em> to watch before my hold request lapsed – likely meaning it’d be several more weeks before my turn in the queue came up again. Fortunately, <em>Before Sunset</em> was checked in at another Des Moines Public Library branch and arrived quickly!</p>
<p><em>Before Sunset</em>, which came out nine years after <em>Before Sunrise</em>, actually picks up the story after a similar (though fictional) nine-year interim, with the same director and stars. What sets <em>Before Sunset</em> apart from the other two films in this trilogy is that it’s told in real time, that is, the time portrayed on screen is the same as the film’s running time. Again, the two characters meet, talk, and walk (this time through Paris), having grown a little older, a little broken, and perhaps a little wiser. I found this second installment just as entrancing as the first, and was perhaps a little more impressed by the simple fact that the real time element was pulled off so effectively.</p>
<p>The third installment, <em>Before Midnight</em>, similarly catches up with the two characters after a lapse of another nine years. The story takes place over several days and, unlike the mostly romantic tone of the first two films, takes a harder, less forgiving look at the pair. That tonal shift makes portions of the movie a little difficult to watch, as viewers of the previous chapters have a pre-existing emotional attachment to the characters built on their mutual attraction and optimism about the future, not on their mounting conflict and acquired cynicism. Nevertheless, that often brutal honesty is done with such deftness that the picture is no less mesmerizing than the earlier films.</p>
<p>Throughout his career, Richard Linklater has consistently pushed the conventional boundaries of filmmaking. Self-taught, he was among the leaders of the indie film movement that established itself as a sustainable option to studio product in the early nineties. Since then, his output has been both prolific and varied. Although he has ventured into studio-backed commercial projects at various times, including <em>The Newton Boys</em>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!625286~!11&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=linklater,+richard&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1"><em>School of Rock</em></a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!666008~!8&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=linklater,+richard&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1"><em>Bad News Bears</em></a>, those movies are among the least interesting credits on his resume. Instead, he has excelled when free to pursue his creative impulses.</p>
<p><img alt="The DVD cover for the teen comedy Dazed and Confused." src="/sites/default/files/Dazed%20and%20Confused.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:215px" />Linklater first attracted significant attention with this second film, <em>Slacker</em>. Featuring a no-name cast, the 1991 movie has a highly unusual structure: the narrative shifts from one character to another. As each new character is introduced, the story follows that character and discards the previous one. Two years later came <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!821004~!9&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=linklater,+richard&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1"><em>Dazed and Confused</em></a>, a multi-character, twenty-four hour glimpse into the life of American teenagers, which did for the seventies what George Lucas’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=XH989716O4030.12042&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!896775~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=American+graffiti&amp;index=PALLTI#focus"><em>American Graffiti</em></a> had once done for the sixties. Like <em>American Graffiti</em>, <em>Dazed and Confused</em> had a cast filled with future stars (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13C8V7204A473.12060&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!257433~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=McConaughey%2C+Matthew%2C+1969-&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Matthew McConaughey</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13C8V7204A473.12060&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!264354~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Zellweger%2C+Ren%C3%A9e%2C+1969-&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Renée Zellweger</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1E9897J39135Q.12083&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!264247~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jovovich%2C+Milla&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Milla Jovovich</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1RD89724386I1.12087&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!222019~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Affleck%2C+Ben%2C+1972-&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Ben Affleck</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1RD89724386I1.12087&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!283144~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Posey%2C+Parker%2C+1968-&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Parker Posey</a>, to name a few), as well as a best-selling <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13C8V7204A473.12060&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1115587~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Dazed+and+confused+the+film+soundtrack+everyone+will+be+talking+about.&amp;index=PALLTI#focus">soundtrack album</a> made up of oldies.</p>
<p>In 2001’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!589988~!13&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=linklater,+richard&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1"><em>Tape</em></a>, Linklater conducted an exercise in minimalism. The entire film takes place in a hotel room with just three characters. The three are former high school classmates, two of whom haven’t seen each other in ten years. Instead of being a happy reunion, the story (based on a play by <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!273270~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Belber%2C+Stephen&amp;index=PZAUTH">Stephen Belber</a>, which he also adapted for the screen) is about deep secrets, confrontations, accusations, and confessions. In this edgy, but very confined drama, Linklater uses various camera techniques to keep this self-contained set from becoming static. Among them are his frequent use of carefully composed low-angle shots and his daring utilization of swish pans between characters embroiled in heated exchanges.</p>
<p>For <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!594412~!12&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=linklater,+richard&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1"><em>Waking Life</em></a> (2001) and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!701414~!7&amp;ri=1&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=linklater,+richard&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1"><em>A Scanner Darkly</em></a> (2006), Linklater employed an innovative form of <img alt="The DVD cover for A Scanner Darkly." src="/sites/default/files/A%20Scanner%20Darkly_1.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:212px" />animation to tell stories targeting adult viewers. Rotoscoping, a process that uses live-action film as a basis for drawn images, is nearly as old as filmmaking itself. Computer-assisted interpolated rotoscoping, however, was developed in the mid-nineties and Linklater was the first to use it for a feature-length film. With <em>Waking Life</em>, Linklater uses the new process to illustrate the dream images of the main character as he seeks answers to his existential questions about the differences between conscious reality and the dream world. In <em>A Scanner Darkly</em>, he returned to the process to adapt SF icon <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13C8V7204A473.12060&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!37162~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Dick%2C+Philip+K.&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Philip K. Dick</a>’s novel about an undercover detective investigating a brain-damaging recreational drug, who finds that his quest may have put his own sanity at stake. Both films share a unique visual look that, depending on your point of view, can either be considered hypnotically beautiful, or jarringly distracting.</p>
<p>Perhaps Linklater’s most creatively ambitious project yet may be his new film <em>Boyhood</em>, which has received spectacular buzz from several film festival showings earlier this year and is slated for a July 2014 release. Produced from an original script that he wrote at the turn of the millennium, Linklater gathered his cast annually beginning in 2002 to shoot sections of the film about a boy growing from a seven-year-old child to an 18-year-old college freshman. The movie stars <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139K97211OR30.12064&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!250966~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Arquette%2C+Patricia%2C+1968-&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Patricia Arquette</a> and Linklater regular Ethan Hawke as the parents, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O9671963C5.11871&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!681278~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Salmon%2C+Ellar.&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ellar Salmon</a> as their maturing son. Linklater’s own daughter, Lorelei, rounds out the on-screen family. It will be interesting to see where the film (quite obviously, a very personal project) will rank in Linklater’s ever-expanding, often audacious oeuvre.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/trilogies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trilogies</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Thu, 01 May 2014 16:26:52 +0000Kevin5583 at http://dmpl.orgSupergroups: Cream, Clapton, Credibilityhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/supergroups-cream-clapton-credibility
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Cream_0.jpg" width="350" height="350" alt="Cream&#039;s first album was Fresh Cream" title="Fresh Cream" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>This, according to Merriam-Webster.com:</p>
<p><em>Definition of&nbsp;SUPERGROUP:&nbsp; a rock group made up of prominent former members of other rock groups;&nbsp;also&nbsp;:&nbsp; an extremely successful rock group</em></p>
<p><em>First Known Use of&nbsp;SUPERGROUP: 1968</em></p>
<p>Most rock fans regard <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278300~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cream+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Cream</a> as the world’s first supergroup, that is, in the first, primary sense of the word. Such claims are always debatable, of course, but by almost any measure, Cream was the first to rise to the top. Cream was a power trio made up of guitarist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!138429~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Clapton%2C+Eric&amp;index=PZAUTH">Eric Clapton</a> (ex-member of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!136155~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Yardbirds+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Yardbirds</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278382~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Bluesbreakers+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers</a>), bassist-singer <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!128329~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Bruce%2C+Jack&amp;index=PZAUTH">Jack Bruce</a> (Blues Incorporated, Graham Bond Organization, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!207538~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mann%2C+Manfred&amp;index=PZAUTH">Manfred Mann</a>), and drummer <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!282942~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Ginger+Baker+Trio&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ginger Baker</a> (Blues Incorporated, Graham Bond Organization). Some of those groups may mean little to an American rock fan, but each had a far higher profile in his native England.</p>
<p>Clapton was a virtuoso blues-rock guitarist, Bruce was a top-notch songwriter and powerful singer, and Baker was probably the most innovative drummer of the sixties. They’d all known one another for several years, with various overlapping band memberships in common, or shared jam session experiences. In fact, Bruce and Baker had spent about five years together as bandmates – between their stints in Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organization – and yet they couldn’t stand each other. On the other hand, Clapton and Bruce had worked together amicably in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Clapton valued Bruce’s varied talents, and was in awe of Baker’s unmatched technique, and so he wanted to work with both. Somehow, he managed to convince them that they could form a cohesive unit.</p>
<p>Amid frequent fights between Bruce and Baker, refereed by Clapton, Cream stayed together for two-and-a-half years (mid-1966 to late-1968). In that short time, however, they yielded fantastic results. The band quickly rose to standard bearer of the British blues-rock movement, a style that was the dominant influence of late-sixties/early-seventies rock. In Britain, the United States, and throughout the world, their albums flew off the shelves, while their live performances were among the hottest of tickets. At their peak, Cream was in all ways the equal of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!37089~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=17&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Beatles&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Beatles</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!79001~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=19&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Rolling+Stones&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Rolling Stones</a>. They were three superstars in a supergroup (the second definition), but despite their immense popularity, their outsized egos couldn’t be contained in one band. Part of the problem lay in the fact, that Clapton, Bruce, and Baker were musical nomads, destined to go their separate ways eventually, no matter how good the situation. Clapton remains a superstar to this day (more on him shortly), while Bruce and Baker, though their individual outputs have been very impressive, never regained the heights they achieved within Cream.</p>
<p>After Cream, Clapton and Baker immediately became part of another supergroup: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!837530~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=21&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Blind+Faith+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Blind Faith</a>. Amid much fanfare, they were joined by singer-keyboardist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!178182~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=24&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Winwood%2C+Steve%2C+1948-&amp;index=">Steve Winwood</a> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1344488~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=29&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+best+of+Spencer+Davis+Group+featuring+Steve+Winwood+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI">Spencer Davis Group</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278373~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=34&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Traffic+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Traffic</a>) and bass guitarist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!837531~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=36&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Grech%2C+Rick&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ric Grech</a> (Family). Blind Faith released an eponymously-titled album that hit number one on both sides of the Atlantic, went on a much-hyped tour of the United States in the summer of ‘69, and broke up – all in the space of seven months!</p>
<p>Blind Faith quickly crumbled, but Clapton wasted no time in joining <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!602150~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=45&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Delaney+%26+Bonnie&amp;index=PZAUTH">Delaney &amp; Bonnie &amp; Friends</a> (one of the supporting acts on the Blind Faith tour). He toured and recorded with D&amp;B&amp;F, then laid down his self-titled solo debut, using that band’s members as his <img alt="The album cover for Derek &amp; the Dominos' Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs." src="/sites/default/files/Derek%20and%20The%20Dominos_2.jpg" style="float:left; height:224px; margin:5px; width:225px" />backing musicians. Those musicians – keyboardist-vocalist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!874328~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=47&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Whitlock%2C+Bobby&amp;index=PZAUTH">Bobby Whitlock</a>, bassist Carl Radle, and drummer <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=65&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=jim+gordon+sound+&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Jim Gordon</a> – formed the nucleus of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278404~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=84&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Derek+and+the+Dominos+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=">Derek and the Dominos</a>, Clapton’s next supergroup project. For a time, on-again/off-again Traffic guitarist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193121~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mason%2C+Dave&amp;index=PZAUTH">Dave Mason</a> was also in the mix. They were joined in the studio by guitarist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=18&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=allman%2C+duane&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38">Duane Allman</a> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278334~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Allman+Brothers+Band&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Allman Brothers Band</a>) to record the tracks for <em>Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs</em>. Released in late 1970, the album spawned two classic rock hits: “Layla” and “Bell Bottom Blues.” Surprisingly, the album was initially considered a critical and commercial misfire, though it’s now deemed a highlight in Clapton’s long, esteemed career, and it soon became one of his best-selling albums. Although sessions commenced for a second album, heavy drug use by several members tore the band apart, never to be reunited.</p>
<p>Ever since Clapton helped define the term, supergroup has been applied countless times to bands whose members have also enjoyed previous success in other groups. Alas, there are really far too many to mention. So, as a partial salute to Clapton, as well as a convenient way of winnowing down the number, I’m going to continue this look at supergroups by restricting it to those bands whose output was limited to just one studio album. Here’s a quick rundown of a few more recent examples, each of whose only original album resides in the collection of the Des Moines Public Library.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!190616~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Temple+of+the+Dog+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Temple of the Dog</a> and its eponymously-titled 1990 album was a tribute to late <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!966825~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mother+Love+Bone+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Mother Love Bone</a> lead singer Andrew Wood (who OD’d on heroin) by fellow bandmates Jeff Ament (bass) and Stone Gossard (guitar). Joining them were <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!190526~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Soundgarden+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Soundgarden</a> vocalist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!218532~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cornell%2C+Chris&amp;index=PZAUTH">Chris Cornell</a> and drummer Matt Cameron. Additional contributions were made by vocalist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!242144~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=17&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Vedder%2C+Eddie&amp;index=PZAUTH">Eddie Vedder</a> and guitarist Mike McCready, two little-known musicians who would subsequently team with Ament and Gossard to form grunge icon <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193399~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=19&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Pearl+Jam+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Pearl Jam</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!976306~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=22&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mad+Season+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH"><img alt="The album cover for Mad Season's Above" src="/sites/default/files/Mad%20Season.jpg" style="float:right; height:221px; margin:5px; width:225px" />Mad Season</a> was formed in 1994 as the result of a chance meeting between guitarist Mike McCready (Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog) and bassist John Baker Saunders (The Walkabouts, The Lamont Cranston Band) at a Minneapolis drug and alcohol rehab center. Upon their return to Seattle, they roped in drummer Barrett Martin (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192443~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=26&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Screaming+Trees+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Screaming Trees</a>) and started jamming. A little later, they were joined by vocalist Layne Staley (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192016~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=28&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Alice+in+Chains+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Alice in Chains</a>) and were soon recording their debut album, <em>Above</em>, which was released the following year. This all-star lineup of Grunge gods fell victim to drug abuse, however, as Saunders relapsed and died of a heroin overdose in 1999 and Staley died of extended heroin and cocaine abuse in 2002, after years of self-imposed seclusion.</p>
<p>Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and former <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!216142~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=30&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Phish+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Phish</a> head <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!283225~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=32&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Anastasio%2C+Trey&amp;index=PZAUTH">Trey Anastasio</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192872~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=34&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Primus+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Primus</a> bassist-vocalist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!649415~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=36&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Claypool%2C+Les&amp;index=PZAUTH">Les Claypool</a>, and drummer <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!131922~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=38&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Copeland%2C+Stewart&amp;index=PZAUTH">Stewart Copeland</a> (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!128413~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=42&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Police+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Police</a>) got together under the name <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!272709~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=44&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Oysterhead+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Oysterhead</a> for a one-time gig at the 2000 New Orleans Jazz Fest. Their four-song repertoire was so well-received that they reunited the next year to create an entire album, <em>The Grand Pecking Order</em>. The trio played a brief tour in fall, 2001, then reassembled for a couple more dates in 2006, but haven’t been heard from since.</p>
<p>About a year after vocalist-guitarist (and all-around head honcho) <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!239349~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=46&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Corgan%2C+Billy&amp;index=PZAUTH">Billy Corgan</a> announced the breakup of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!194961~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=52&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Smashing+Pumpkins+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Smashing Pumpkins</a> in late 2000, he and Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin reunited in the alt-rock band <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!273929~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=56&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Zwan+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Zwan</a>. They were joined by guitarist Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Skunk), guitarist-bassist David Pajo (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!531174~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=61&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Slint+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Slint</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!264946~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=63&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tortoise+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Tortoise</a>), and bassist Paz Lenchantin (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!260926~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=66&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Perfect+Circle+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">A Perfect Circle</a>). The group put out one (very good) album, <em>Mary Star of the Sea</em>, before Corgan announced the breakup of that band, as well.</p>
<p>In the years following the breakup of Smashing Pumpkins, it wasn’t just Corgan who found his way into a supergroup. Pumpkins guitarist James Iha joined singer Taylor Hanson (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!221898~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=70&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Hanson+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Hanson</a>), bassist Adam Schlesinger (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!237312~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=74&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Fountains+of+Wayne+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Fountains of Wayne</a>, Ivy), drummer Bun E. Carlos (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192266~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cheap+Trick+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Cheap Trick</a>) and guitarist Josh Lattanzi (<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!276801~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=4&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Kweller%2C+Ben&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ben Kweller</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!189843~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Lemonheads+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Lemonheads</a>) to form <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N397665685A7P.954&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!797246~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tinted+Windows+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Tinted Windows</a> in 2009. Their self-titled album (also 2009) is a celebration of pure, melodic pop/rock.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/supergroup" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Supergroup</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/rock-music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">rock music</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Wed, 16 Apr 2014 15:53:21 +0000Kevin5488 at http://dmpl.orgSouth Korean Cinemahttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/south-korean-cinema
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Oldboy.jpg" width="189" height="266" alt="DVD cover of the Korean crime thriller Oldboy." title="Oldboy" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Recently, I caught a&nbsp;movie called <em>Lady Vengeance</em>&nbsp;on a cable network. <em>Lady Vengeance</em> is&nbsp;a Korean crime drama about a young mother coerced into doing the bidding of a serial killer, but who later seeks both atonement and retribution. After a little digging, I now believe that I’ve seen at least nine Korean films in the last three to&nbsp;four&nbsp;years. The funny thing is that there wasn’t any intent on my part to become a sort of mini-expert on Korean cinema. It just happened after watching <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1231585~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Oldboy&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Oldboy</em></a>, a mystery thriller that I became aware of through my well-documented penchant for lists. In this case, it was from perusing Internet Movie Database’s Top 250 chart, which ranks the greatest films of all time. <em>Oldboy</em> (at #72 as I write this) was one of just a handful of titles on the list that I hadn’t seen. In fact, at that point, I’d never even heard of it!</p>
<p>Prior to <em>Oldboy</em>, I’d never really thought about there being a Korean film industry. By Korean film industry I mean the one in South Korea. I don't know if home-grown cinema even exists in the poor and super-secretive North.&nbsp;If it does, I doubt that any of its movies are being exported to other countries. The South, on the other hand, has recently developed a thriving domestic film industry – one that creates enough quality product to spur a certain amount of oversees interest.</p>
<p>For many, if not most Americans, Korea is a country that existed in name only prior to the Korean War (1950-1953). Unfortunately for Korea, the twentieth century was marked by frequent fighting, several periods of autocratic rule, and habitual instability. Most of Korea’s long history (dating back well over 4,000 years!), however, has boasted self-rule. Over those many years, Korea has had long periods of peace with notable scientific, cultural, and artistic advancements. In the 1800s, due to its isolationist policy, Korea (then called Joseon, for its long-ruling dynasty) was nicknamed the “Hermit Kingdom” by Western observers. For the most part, Korea kept to itself and other countries left it alone. All of that changed in the twentieth century.</p>
<p>From 1910 to the end of WWII, Korea was forcibly controlled as a colony of the Empire of Japan. Following the surrender of Japan, the Allies (without Korean input) did the people no favors by splitting Korea in two. A bloody war during the early 1950s between the two Korean halves – which became a battleground of ideology with the interference of competing world powers – left the Korean peninsula permanently divided. Since then, it has become the story of the haves and have nots. The capitalist, but politically unstable South has become a manufacturing giant, bringing a steady rise in the country’s standard of living. In the meantime, the communist North has suffered under dictatorial rule, which has played a key role (even more so than a spate of natural disasters during the past twenty years) in exacerbating food shortages resulting in severe malnutrition among its citizens.</p>
<p>The U.S. involvement in the Korean War led to a few films being made during the fifties about the conflict. Such films as <em>The Steel Helmet</em>, <em>Fixed Bayonets</em>!, <em>Battle Circus</em>, <em>The Bridges at Toko-Ri</em>, <em>Time Limit</em>, and <em>Pork Chop Hill</em> come to mind. In the sixties, America’s participation in the ever-escalating Vietnam War quickly ended any residual interest in the Korea War. When the controversial movie <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1006334~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=12&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=MASH&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>MASH</em></a> came out in 1970, though it was set during the Korea War, it was clearly defined by a Vietnam War-era sensibility. The same can be said for <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=19&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=m*a*s*h+alda&amp;x=10&amp;y=14&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>M*A*S*H</em></a>, the TV series adaptation that ran for eleven seasons. Later attempts to portray events in the Korean War, like 1977’s <em>MacArthur</em> and 1981’s <em>Inchon</em> were critical and box office disasters. Since then, the war has rarely found its way into American movies, even marginally. It’s no wonder that military veterans refer to the Korean War as “The Forgotten War.”</p>
<p>Although American depictions of Korea on screen are exclusively devoted to the war, you get a far, far better sense of the country by viewing its homegrown product. South Korean movies cover a similarly wide variety of subject matter as do those of any other major film-producing nation. Their movies depict the intrinsic values of their own culture, but they also carry a degree of influence from their main allies and/or trading partners, especially China, Japan and the United States. Without question, the best of South Korean cinema currently rivals that of any other major national cinema. As such, their top titles are worth seeking out. The following list of ten films, all of which are available at the Des Moines Public Library, is a good place to start. I’ve included a brief plot setup to help entice your interest. Please note that these films are in Korean with English subtitles and, in some cases, English dubbing.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1412077~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=25&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Masquerade+the+king+of+fa%C3%A7ade+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em><img alt="DVD cover for the movie Masquerade: The King of Facade" src="/sites/default/files/Masquerade_0.jpg" style="float:left; height:300px; margin:5px" />Masquerade: The King of Façade</em></a> (2012) – Set during the Joseon Dynasty, this costume drama tells the story of a despotic ruler who seeks a look-a-like to help avoid assassination attempts. Later, after the ruler is actually poisoned, his stand-in (a peasant jester) is forced to take his place for fifteen days.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1395842~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=27&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=My+sassy+girl&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>My Sassy Girl</em></a> (2001) – In this dramedy romance based on a real-life story, a man meets an attractive, but very drunk woman on a train and helps get her homely safely. Subsequently, they begin dating, but he finds her abusive behavior a real impediment to a long-term relationship.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1401374~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=33&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=3-iron&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>3-Iron</em></a> (2004) – A loner breaks into houses while the owners are vacationing. In payment for the food and shelter, he cleans the house, makes repairs, and does laundry. His life changes drastically when he enters a presumably empty house to find a woman badly beaten by her husband.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1380097~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=35&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Memories+of+murder+Sarin+%C5%ADi+ch%CA%BBu%C5%8Fk+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Memories of Murder</em></a> (2003) – Based on never-solved serial killings in a South Korean village during the 1980s, this crime drama is really an excuse for a metaphorical treatment of the sorry state of national politics in the decade, with no heroes to be found.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1132458~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=37&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Tae+guk+gi+%3A+the+brotherhood+of+war&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War</em></a> (2004) – Those seeking a South Korean take on the Korean War, should watch this one. Framed with a present-day mystery, but primarily set at the start of the war in 1950, two brothers fleeing communist forces are thrust into the military, with dire consequences.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!23882~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=39&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mother+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Mother</em></a> (2009) – The elderly mother of a retarded adult son who is accused of murdering a young girl sets out to prove his innocence in this crime thriller that has several, convincing, plot twists.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!3777~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=41&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Spring%2C+summer%2C+fall%2C+winter--+and+spring+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring</em></a> (2003) – The seasons of the title represent the various stages of the life of a boy who is raised by a Buddhist monk on a temple floating on a remote lake. After his sexual awakening, the teen gives up the contemplative life, but finds that urban life has many pitfalls.</p>
<p><em><img alt="DVD cover for the movie The Man from Nowhere." src="/sites/default/files/The%20Man%20from%20Nowhere_0.jpg" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:5px; width:210px" />Oldboy</em> (2003) – A businessman/family man is abducted and imprisoned in a shabby looking room, but he has no idea by whom, or for what reason. After fifteen years he is suddenly released, at which point he seeks answers to his many questions, as well as revenge on his tormentor.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1401395~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=43&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+man+from+nowhere+Ajeossi+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Man from Nowhere</em></a> (2010) – A reclusive pawnshop owner gets pulled into a drug war when the only person he cares about, a little girl from the neighborhood, is kidnapped. As events escalate, it becomes clear that this man has extraordinary survival skills that were not previously apparent.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13957L85743K2.1266&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!36259~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=45&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+chaser+%5BDVD%5D+%3D+Chugyeogja+%2F&amp;index=PDVD"><em>The Chaser</em></a> (2008) – A former crooked cop and present pimp starts sleuthing again when two of his prostitutes appear to have successively run out on him.&nbsp; He soon finds that there is a connection to their disappearances, but one that is far more grim than first imagined.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/south-korea" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">South Korea</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Tue, 25 Mar 2014 17:00:40 +0000Kevin5349 at http://dmpl.orgSweet Philly Soulhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/sweet-philly-soul
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Spinners.jpg" width="300" height="298" alt="The CD cover for the Spinners&#039; anthology The Very Best of Spinners." title="The Very Best of Spinners" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Growing up in Eastern Iowa, my education in popular music came from three sources: radio (AM initially, FM later), records (first, 45 rpm singles, and then LPs), and artists appearing on TV. Seeing popular music actually played live was an absolute rarity, usually confined to whoever played the old All-Iowa Fair in Cedar Rapids, or the Great Jones County Fair in Monticello. My favorite radio stations as a kid were Cedar Rapids’ KCRG at 1600 (“The Big 16”) and KLWW (“The Rock in the Rapids”) at 1450, which both played all the top hits of the day. When FM started to become a force in Eastern Iowa, it was Iowa City’s KRNA, at 93.5 and subsequently 93.9, which caught my ear. I didn’t have a lot of money for records, but I did buy the occasional single in the early seventies – if memory serves, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=C3Y42211C3636.27454&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!971610~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Revere%2C+Paul%2C+1938-&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Raiders</a>’ "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)" was the first I ever owned – before moving to albums a couple of years later. My album collection wasn’t particularly large, but then I played several of the same few over and over again anyway. I recall wearing the grooves pretty deep on albums by <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=R394221T2T587.27455&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!37089~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Beatles&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Beatles</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=S394221R5189D.27460&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!278308~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Three+Dog+Night+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Three Dog Night</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=T39422M32259R.27463&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!194638~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Guess+Who+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Guess Who</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=U3D422S477274.27469&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!189557~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Hollies+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Hollies</a>. You know, basic rock stuff.</p>
<p>Area AM stations played a little bit of everything, that is, anything that was a Top 40 contender. As a result, I became familiar with many music genres: rock and roll, pop, folk, country, R&amp;B, and, of course, rock in all its many permutations, such as blues, garage, psychedelic, and surf. I may have been introduced to them via local radio, but that didn’t mean I became well-versed in all of them. Frankly, I lived in white bread America and although I was familiar with the biggest hits of the major R&amp;B artists of the time, my awareness barely scratched the surface. Sure, I knew the classic hits of artists like <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139422659T32J.27881&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!246953~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Four+Tops+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Four Tops</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13K42M66316X6.27884&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!163079~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Temptations+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Temptations</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13942266F1H8U.27890&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!104442~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Jackson+5+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Jackson 5</a>, but I certainly wouldn’t have recognized the majority of tunes being played on the R&amp;B stations of such relatively nearby urban centers as Chicago or St. Louis. That is, until television – more of a national medium than the local medium that was radio – began changing in the early seventies.</p>
<p>Television had numerous variety shows on network schedules in the fifties and sixties, but integration was slow, and slots for black artists on programs like <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139V2267R9739.27898&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!62063~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=12&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Sullivan%2C+Ed%2C+1901-1974&amp;index=PZAUTH"><em>The Ed Sullivan Show</em></a> went to those that were considered safe or inoffensive. The same could be said for the musical guests invited to play (or lip sync) on the likes of <em>American Bandstand</em> or <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13942H702B0F1.27917&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=johnny+carson+tonight+show+dvd&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>The Tonight Show, Starring Johnny Carson</em></a>. Then, starting in the mid-sixties, the conformity of fifties America, which had already begun to crack in the early sixties, got blown apart by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War protests, inner-city rioting, the ascent of the drug culture, and the women’s liberation movement. In the midst of this seeming chaos, African-American culture began flowering. With greater freedom came greater expression in all mediums. In music, R&amp;B (which had already been flourishing during the sixties at Detroit’s Motown Records and Memphis’ Stax Records, among others) increasingly crossed into the mainstream as both real and perceived barriers broke down between whites and blacks. Nowhere was this more apparent than on television.</p>
<p>Thanks to such trailblazers as Bill Cosby, Flip Wilson, Diahann Carroll, and Redd Foxx, network primetime television schedules started becoming more inclusive. The same went for late night schedules, as Johnny Carson and his competitors were now more inclined to welcome African-American guests to their talk shows. Then, on August 19, 1972, a live music show premiered on NBC named <em>The Midnight Special</em>. Among the guests on that first episode was the popular R&amp;B group <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13942L72S411S.27934&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!187430~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Isley+Brothers&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Isley Brothers</a>. That late Friday night show would display a color-blind policy over its eight-year run, with one or more African-American artists performing on each episode and often including hosting duties. I received my first real exposure to R&amp;B artists through <em>The Midnight Special</em>, as well as other similar shows that were launched in its wake. Among the R&amp;B artists who I would enjoy seeing were several that I would learn had come out of Philadelphia. In fact, there was already a name being applied to their style of music: Philly Soul.</p>
<p><img alt="The CD cover for Playlist: The Very Best of Harold Melvin &amp; The Blue Notes." src="/sites/default/files/Harold%20Melvin%20%26%20The%20Blue%20Notes_0.jpg" style="float:right; height:225px; margin:5px; width:225px" />R&amp;B, a term that had had a fairly distinct meaning through the end of the sixties, fast became an umbrella term that included such hybrid styles as soul, funk, and disco during the seventies. Soul music was being crafted in urban centers throughout the country, but Philadelphia helped lead the way. I recently checked out a CD featuring the best of <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139422J3X117I.27938&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1011587~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Melvin%2C+Harold&amp;index=PZAUTH">Harold Melvin &amp; The Blue Notes</a> and it was as silky smooth now as it was then. Perhaps that’s because Philly Soul was largely a producer/songwriter movement in which the vocal and instrumental arrangements received primary focus. The vehicle for those productions was almost entirely African-American close harmony groups with years of prior singing experience. Hearing that CD really put me in the mood for more, so here are a few of the top acts of the classic Philly Soul era that deserve another listen. Some of these artists spent their entire recording careers in Philadelphia, others just passed through at some point, but they all helped create a bit of Philly Soul in the seventies.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=H394G2P347420.27941&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192268~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=O%27Jays+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The O'Jays</a> formed in Canton, Ohio as a quintet in 1958, but didn’t find real success until the early seventies when, as a trio, they were signed by the legendary producer/songwriting team of Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff to the pair’s own Philadelphia International label. The O’Jays enjoyed seven top twenty singles (1973’s “Love Train” peaked at #1) and eight top twenty albums during that decade.</p>
<p>Philadelphia’s own <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=K39422C37498U.27948&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!633841~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Delfonics+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Delfonics</a> scored one of the first national Philly Soul hits when “La-La (Means I Love You)” rose to #4 in 1968. They had several other Top 40 hits, all of which were co-written by founding member/lead vocalist William Hart and famed Philly Soul producer Thom Bell, before they broke up in 1975.</p>
<p>Although Harold Melvin &amp; the Blue Notes was named for founding member and original lead vocalist/choreographer/songwriter Melvin, he’d given up all of those duties by the time the Philadelphia quintet found fame after nearly twenty years as a unit. In 1970, Teddy Pendergrass joined the group, later moving to lead vocals. Like the O’Jays, The Blue Notes peaked in the seventies after being signed by Gamble and Huff and recording for the team’s Philadelphia International. "If You Don't Know Me by Now," which hit #3 in 1972, became their signature song.</p>
<p>Formed in 1954,&nbsp;<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=X3942274L1H41.27951&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!633837~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Spinners+%28Musical+group+%3A+U.S.%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Spinners</a> were a Detroit group who recorded for hometown labels Tri-Phi and Motown throughout the sixties, though only a handful of their many singles ever broke into the Billboard Top 40. Success, however, came in Philadelphia, where producer/songwriter Thom Bell took them under his wing at Atlantic Records in 1972. At Atlantic, Spinners became the most successful Philly Soul group ever, scoring seven top five hits alone, including the #1 “Then Came You,” a collaboration with Dionne Warwick.</p>
<p><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13I4WN7467116.27955&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!920243~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Stylistics+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Stylistics</a> were created in 1966 when two members from both The Monarchs and The Percussions came together to form a quartet. The Philadelphia group signed with Avco Records around 1970 and had the good fortune of having the label entice Thom Bell to produce and co-write their first, eponymously-titled album, which yielded five charting singles, two of which climbed into the top ten. The hits would keep coming into the mid-seventies, including the "You Make Me Feel Brand New,” their biggest hit, reaching #2 in 1974.</p>
<p>Other artists associated with Philly Soul include The Manhattans, MFSB (an instrumental group), and The Three Degrees (a rare female group). CDs by these artists will be added as available. In the meantime, come to the Des Moines Public Library,&nbsp;checkout the groups above, and find out why Philadelphia is famous for more than steak sandwiches.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/philly-soul" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Philly Soul</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">music</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Fri, 07 Mar 2014 19:53:11 +0000Kevin5187 at http://dmpl.orgAnd the Oscar for Best Picture Goes to....http://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/and-oscar-best-picture-goes
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Wings.jpg" width="280" height="400" alt="DVD cover for Wings" title="Wings" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>The other night I watched the 1933 movie <em>Cavalcade</em> on Turner Classic Movies. I suppose the odds are pretty decent that you’ve never heard of it. At this point, few people probably have. For the uninitiated, it’s a faithful adaptation of a <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1392S353G991Y.1756&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!50200~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Coward%2C+Noel%2C+1899-1973&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Noel Coward</a> play that was a tremendous hit on the London stage and which made the playwright a very wealthy man. Although it was shot in Hollywood by the Fox Film Corporation (slightly before its merger with 20th Century Pictures), <em>Cavalcade</em> stars an overwhelmingly British cast, headed by <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1392S353G991Y.1756&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!777320~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Wynyard%2C+Diana%2C+1906-1964&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Diana Wynyard</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1392PTA376506.1759&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!245832~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Brook%2C+Clive%2C+1887-1974&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Clive Brook</a>. OK, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard of them either. Frankly, until I looked them up, I myself couldn’t remember a single other film in which either had starred, though I knew I’d seen each in a handful of titles previously.</p>
<p>To tell the truth, <em>Cavalcade</em> isn’t a particularly good picture. The acting is rather stilted and the story is excessively patriotic, but the main issue seems to be trying to depict thirty years of British history through the lens of two families in a mere 113-minute running time. Lots of events are touched on, but little character development occurs. So why’d I bother? Well, <em>Cavalcade</em> was the winner of an Oscar for Best Picture, and a film I’ve been waiting decades to see. In fact, until I saw it, it was the only Best Picture winner I’d never seen. OK, I’ll be honest, I’m not sure whether I should be proud of that accomplishment, or embarrassed to admit it! Good or bad, that’s a lot of time to have spent watching movies. I can only wonder what I might have done had I applied those hours to something else. Like, perhaps I could’ve written the great American novel! Nah….</p>
<p>So why did it take me so long to catch up with <em>Cavalcade</em>? Until very recently it was unavailable. In addition to now appearing on TCM, it’s also become available on Blu-Ray. It isn’t, however, available on DVD, nor has it ever been, at least not in the United States. As a result, <em>Cavalcade</em> isn’t currently available in the collection of the Des Moines Public Library. Nor, for that matter, is 1962’s <em>Tom Jones</em>, starring <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1F9293R5064D2.1773&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193318~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Finney%2C+Albert%2C+1936-&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Albert Finney</a>, another winner of the Oscar statuette for Best Picture. The good news, however, is that that’s where the list ends. There have been eighty-five films honored with a Best Picture Oscar and your public library has the other eighty-three titles!</p>
<p>Now I’m sure that some of you feel that the Oscars are nothing more than an exercise in self-congratulatory propaganda, further marred by many wrongheaded choices. I get that. I’ve no doubt that I could write page after page on how the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has overlooked several outstanding films over the years in the Best Picture category alone (of course, hindsight being 20/20, you never know which films will become dated, or conversely rise in critical standing, until sometime later, so you can only expect even further disagreements to arise over time). My opinions, however, are no less subjective than anyone else’s. We all have our favorites, and each year when the envelopes are opened and the winners revealed, if they’re not the films that you or I were hoping would win, then we feel the academy messed things up once again.</p>
<p>The choice of each academy voter, of course, is also subjective, but what you get when you add up a bunch of subjective opinions is a consensus. That consensus may jibe with your opinion, or with the collective opinion of a favorite media outlet, critics’ group, or film society, or it may not. In truth, there is no perfect way to accurately judge the merits of a product that is – at least in the best case scenario – trying to be two things simultaneously: successful commerce and great art. What the Oscar process usually does accomplish is this: it highlights titles that on some level have merit and are worth viewing. Whether the process gets either the nominations or the winners correct is another matter and is always up for debate. If you’re a film fanatic, however, the next best thing to watching a movie is debating the relative merits of favorite films with other like-minded individuals. On that score, the Oscars provide an excellent jumping off point. Perhaps their real value is just getting people to talk about film.</p>
<p>As a result of the above, I have no problem enjoying the Oscar process. I don’t put too much stock in the nominations, yet I allow it to serve as a rough guide to a year’s quality titles. As for the ceremony itself, I just sit back and enjoy. Outside a royal coronation or a closing ceremony at the Olympics, it’s just about the biggest gala on earth, and it happens every year! For sheer mega-watt star-gazing, nothing tops the Oscars. On Sunday, March 2 a new title will join the pantheon of Best Picture winners – and be assured that if the winner isn’t already in the collection of the Des Moines Public Library, it soon will be. On the flip side, we’ll also have all the other nominees, including the movie that you thought should have won.</p>
<p>Did you realize that the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences has an important Des Moines connection? Actor <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1392935H27MN5.1825&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=4&amp;source=%7E%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=conrad+nagel&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;x=7&amp;y=9#focus">Conrad Nagel</a>, who was born in Keokuk, but lived in north Des Moines from the age of three until graduating from Highland Park College (located at what is now Parkfair Mall), was one of the thirty-six founding members of the academy. Actually, it goes even deeper than that, as Nagel was one of the four men who dined at the home of M-G-M head honcho <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=O392938W1S784.1935&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100017~!85397~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Mayer%2C+Louis+B.+%28Louis+Burt%29%2C+1885-1957&amp;index=PSUBJ#focus">Louis B. Mayer</a> in early January 1927 and originated the idea of an organization benefiting the entire film industry. A few months later, the academy was officially formed. From the beginning, the academy has worked to further the interests of those in the industry, though most moviegoers only know it for bestowing the gleaming Oscar statuettes. Nagel, a handsome leading man of dozens of films throughout the twenties and thirties, was the fourth president of the academy, serving during 1932-1933 – which, incidentally, was the period during which <em>Cavalcade</em> was released! He went on to equally successful stints in radio and on television. In fact, Nagel was honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with stars for each of those three fields!</p>
<p>The idea of recognizing outstanding achievements was put forth by the academy in 1928. The first Oscars were presented in a ceremony held May 16, 1929 and honored films released from August 1, 1927 through July 31, 1928, as the academy followed the traditional Broadway season as its own awards season during the first six years of competition. The initial Best Picture winner was 1927’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1F9293R5064D2.1773&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!38347~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=WINGS+%28DVD%29+%5Bvideorecording%5D.&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>Wings</em></a>, starring flapper-era icon <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13929W59097O3.1837&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=1&amp;source=%7E%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=bow%2C+clara&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;x=5&amp;y=10#focus">Clara Bow</a>. It was the only silent film to win the award. That is, until 2011’s paean to silent pictures <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1392LX862W109.1932&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!31046~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+artist+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>The Artist</em></a>, which does includes one line of dialogue at the tail end of the movie.</p>
<p>The history of the Oscars is a treasure trove of trivia. Here are a few tidbits you may enjoy. The only film to receive just a single nomination, yet win Best Picture was 1932’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1392LX862W109.1932&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!694260~!4&amp;ri=3&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Garbo,+Greta,+1905-1990&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3#focus"><em>Grand Hotel</em></a>, starring <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1392LX862W109.1932&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!41262~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Garbo%2C+Greta%2C+1905-1990&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Greta Garbo</a>. Conversely, 2003’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!962259~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=6&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Lord+of+the+rings%2C+return+of+the+king&amp;index=PALLTI#focus"><em>The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King</em></a> was nominated in eleven categories and made a clean sweep. Two other films match that eleven-win total: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!583~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=14&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Ben-Hur+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>Ben-Hur</em></a>, from 1959, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!6828~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=18&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Titanic+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>Titanic</em></a>, from 1997. <em>The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King</em> also has the distinction of being one of only two sequels to win Best Picture, the other being 1974’s <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!6835~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=8&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+Godfather.+Part+II+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus">The Godfather Part II</a>.</em></p>
<p><img alt="DVD cover for Argo" src="/sites/default/files/Argo.PNG" style="float:left; height:300px; margin:5px; width:205px" />The movie with the longest running time to win the top prize was 1939’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!6999~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=20&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Gone+with+the+wind+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>Gone with the Wind</em></a>, clocking in at a robust 224 minutes (238 minutes if you count the overture, entr'acte, and exit music!). On the other hand, 1955’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!9231~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=22&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Marty+%5Bvideorecording%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>Marty</em></a> ran a tidy 94 minutes, yet also won the highest honor. The film with the longest title to win Best Picture is, once again, <em>The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King</em>, while the record for the shortest title belongs to 1958’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!1904~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=30&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Gigi+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>Gigi</em></a> and, since last year, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!33657~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=32&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Argo+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>Argo</em></a>.</p>
<p>Only three films have swept the so-called “big five” categories: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay (either Original or Adapted). They are 1934’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!624~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=34&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=It+happened+one+night+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>It Happened One Night</em></a>, 1975’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!14925~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=38&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=One+flew+over+the+cuckoo%27s+nest+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus"><em>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</em></a>, and 1991’s <em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y39293600VM38.1840&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100015~!472~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=41&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+silence+of+the+lambs+%5BDVD%5D+%2F&amp;index=PDVD#focus">The Silence of the Lambs</a></em>. What titillating trivia will this year’s winner add?</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/oscars" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Oscars</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/motion-picture-academy-arts-and-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Thu, 20 Feb 2014 21:30:07 +0000Kevin5023 at http://dmpl.orgGeek Rock: When Geeks Became Coolhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/geek-rock-when-geeks-became-cool
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/Weezer%20-%20Make%20Believe.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Cover of the Weezer album Make Believe" title="Weezer&#039;s Make Believe" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>There was a time about twenty years ago when I felt disconnected from rock music. I’d been a fan of new wave in the early to mid-eighties, but that style had come and gone. For whatever reason (actually, I’m sure there were several), I never got into hair metal, which ruled the late-eighties and early-nineties. I was starting to worry that I was getting too old to enjoy rock! Fortunately, it was at a time when mainstream rock was making a transition, moving from hair metal, arena bands to alternative, grunge bands. <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391I21P66400.37355&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!700503~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Poison+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Poison</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!137180~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=M%C3%B6tley+Cr%C3%BCe+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Mötley Crüe</a> were out, while <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193757~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=3&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Nirvana+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Nirvana</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!206316~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=5&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Stone+Temple+Pilots+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Stone Temple Pilots</a> were in.</p>
<p>I liked grunge, for the most part, but I still wasn’t quite musically fulfilled. Then, on the heels of the grunge movement came <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391DO823F980.37183&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!256211~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Weezer+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Weezer</a>, which were roughly classed as an alternative act, but otherwise shared little with the new dominant rock idiom, which had come out of the Pacific Northwest wearing flannel shirts and Doc&nbsp;Martens. No, Weezer was anything but grungy. Instead, they were more like a throwback to a different generation altogether, sporting short hair, black-rimmed glasses, and fifties fashions. If the truth be told, I’ve loved Weezer ever since I first heard the refrain “Oo-ee-oo, I look just like Buddy Holly, oh, oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore.”</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before I heard the term geek rock, or nerd rock (as it’s known in some quarters), was being used to describe a crop of new bands that, while not upending the supremacy of grunge, were carving out a nice little niche of their own. Weezer was part of that crop. Now, while I don’t know the etymology of the term geek rock, my first brush with it was in the mid-nineties. That’s not to say that the term didn’t exist before then, or more importantly, that there weren’t rock bands already around who could be described as being such.</p>
<p>I’m not going to claim that the great <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!125153~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Holly%2C+Buddy%2C+1936-1959&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Buddy Holly</a> was the first geek rocker just because he had short hair and wore black-rimmed glasses. That description would fit many males in late-fifties America. No, among the bands having a right to claim membership among the founding fathers of geek rock would be <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!108219~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=9&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Devo+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Devo</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!133540~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=11&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Talking+Heads+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Talking Heads</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192563~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=13&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=XTC+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">XTC</a>. All three of those bands, who came along in the late-seventies, received such labels as art-pop at the time. So, what makes a rock band a geek rock band? Well, like many music tags, the term is somewhat amorphous. Nevertheless, geek rock tends to be very melodic, multi-part harmony is common, lyrics are often wry or whimsical, and the use of keyboards is pervasive. What really sets geek rock apart, however, is the presentation. Geek rockers don intentionally anachronistic clothing, accessories, and hairstyles. And, like their grunge brethren, they favor minimalist stagecraft, attempting to purvey a more roots-oriented approach.</p>
<p>The mid-eighties brought such bands as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192574~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=15&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=They+Might+Be+Giants+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">They Might Be Giants</a> to the fore of the emerging geek rock movement. TMBG began as a duo, with guitarist John Flansburgh and accordion/saxophonist John Linnell sharing vocals and accompanied by a drum machine or with prerecorded backing tracks. They first got noticed when they set up Dial-a-Song, a phone service feature in New York City. A recording contract came shortly thereafter, as did backing musicians, although those additions have been rather transient through the years. In 2013, TMBG released their eighteenth album (three of which were surprisingly successful children’s albums) and they remain a popular touring act.</p>
<p><img alt="Cover of the Barenaked Ladies' album Everything to Everyone" src="/sites/default/files/Barenaked%20Ladies%20-%20Everything%20to%20Everyone_0.jpg" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:right; height:220px; margin:5px; width:220px" />Geek rock really became a “thing” in the early to mid-nineties, when several bands gained fame on alt-rock radio. Like They Might Be Giants, Canada’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391DO823F980.37183&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!264103~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=15&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Barenaked+Ladies&amp;index=PZAUTH">Barenaked Ladies</a> started as a duo, with Ed Robertson and Steven Page starting as an acoustic folk/pop act in the late-eighties. They were a hit north of the border by the early nineties, having expanded to a full band and having gained renown for their humorous live shows. By the mid-nineties they were becoming a regular presence on U.S. alternative radio, eventually moving into the mainstream and registering the number one hit “One Week” in 1998. Also like TMBG, they later recorded a children’s album. They may be best known today, however, for providing the theme song for the megahit TV series <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=22&amp;source=%7E%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=the+big+bang+theory+dvd+lorre&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;x=11&amp;y=8#focus"><em>The Big Bang Theory</em></a>.</p>
<p>Weezer hit the scene with the release of the album <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391DO823F980.37183&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!805745~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=24&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Weezer&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Weezer</em></a>, usually referred to as The Blue Album, in 1994. The Blue Album was produced by <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391DO823F980.37183&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!136245~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=26&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cars+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Cars</a>’ Ric Ocasek – whose band was a bit on the geeky side themselves. Following a year-long tour, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo proved he was the ultimate geek of the music world by dropping out of the music scene and dropping in to Harvard University, where he eventually earned a B.A. in English in 2006. Two decades and eight albums later, Weezer is still king of the geek rock hill.</p>
<p>You never know what musical genres will find their way into a song by <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391DO823F980.37183&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!266255~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=17&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Cake+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Cake</a>, whose unique vision is a mash-up of styles tied to ironic lyrics delivered in a deadpan manner, along with their secret weapon: a most brassy trumpet. Cake has released several seemingly unlikely alt-rock radio staples such as “Rock'n'Roll Lifestyle,” “The Distance,” and “Never There,” as well as one song, “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” which served as the theme music for the cult TV series <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391DO823F980.37183&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=28&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=chuck+dvd+levi&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;aspect=subtab38"><em>Chuck</em></a>.</p>
<p>Just judging by their name you can tell that <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!215736~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=24&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Presidents+of+the+United+States+of+America+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">The Presidents of the United States of America</a> (or PUSA, or The Presidents) aren’t exactly serious. In fact, they came up with their own term to describe their musical subgenre: absurd rock. I’ll, however, “Lump” them in with the more acknowledged geek rock subgenre. PUSA was formed in Seattle in 1993 when boyhood friends Chris Ballew (lead vocals, basitar) and Dave Dederer (backing vocals, guitbass), who had been working as a duo, added drummer Jason Finn. A basitar, by the way, is a two-stringed version of a standard bass guitar that Ballew originated, while a guitbass is a three-stringed version of an electric guitar that Dederer created to accompany Ballew’s innovation. The beauty of both instruments is that a finger across any fret results in a chord. Their highly successful 1995 <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!656599~!1&amp;ri=45&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Presidents+of+the+United+States+of+America+(Musical+group)&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=45#focus">self-titled debut</a> was the first of five critically-praised albums.</p>
<p><img alt="Cover of the Ben Folds Five album Live" src="/sites/default/files/Ben%20Folds%20Five%20-%20Live.jpg" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:right; height:220px; margin:5px; width:220px" />The irony-drenched <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!263989~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=26&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Ben+Folds+Five&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Ben Folds Five</a> (they’re actually a trio) is a power pop band without a lead guitar. That’s because singer Ben Folds pounds out the lead instrumental lines on his piano. Folds, who has described the band’s style as punk rock for sissies, is more wiseass than wry or whimsical, as are lyricists in other geek rock bands, but just as humorous all the same. "Battle of Who Could Care Less" and "Brick" are among their songs that have stood the test of time. The trio was a unit from 1995 until 2000, when they split to pursue other projects (Folds was soon “<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!890990~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=28&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Rockin%27+the+suburbs&amp;index=PALLTI#focus">Rockin’ the Suburbs</a>”), but they reformed in 2011.</p>
<p>Perhaps <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=N3F1F21089525.37354&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!237312~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Fountains+of+Wayne+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Fountains of Wayne</a> has had the misfortune of coming along in the wrong era, because their brand of power pop, heavily influenced by sixties-vintage British melodic pop, is among the best ever produced. If not for the surprise hit “Stacy’s Mom,” from their third album, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!946581~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=34&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=%22Welcome+interstate+managers%22&amp;index=PALLTI#focus">Welcome Interstate Managers</a>, their entire output may have been relegated to dusty cut-outs bins long ago. Even so, the work of the songwriting team of Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger (who also has many high-profile producing credits, including They Might Be Giants) doesn’t get near the attention it deserves.</p>
<p>Although the heyday of geek rock has passed, many of the top bands from that period remain active, while a new batch – including <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!272513~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=36&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=OK+Go+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;return_results=true#focus">OK Go</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!560159~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=40&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Motion+City+Soundtrack+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Motion City Soundtrack</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391721XB7N32.37356&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1023316~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=42&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Nerf+Herder.&amp;index=PZAUTH#focus">Nerf Herder</a> – have come along in the past decade to mine that same vein.&nbsp; Whether they’re old artists or new, geek out with albums from the Des Moines Public Library, where we have your favorite geek rockers waiting to amaze and amuse you.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/geek-rock" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">geek rock</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/rock" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">rock</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/grunge" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">grunge</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/alternative" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">alternative</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Thu, 06 Feb 2014 20:47:38 +0000Kevin4854 at http://dmpl.orgTom Clancy, Jack Ryan and the Silver Screenhttp://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/tom-clancy-jack-ryan-and-silver-screen
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/The%20Hunt%20for%20Red%20October.jpg" width="209" height="297" alt="The DVD cover for the film The Hunt for Red October features a photo of Sean Connery." title="The Hunt for Red October" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Thriller readers the world over mourned the death of novelist <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13Y9807762YW4.3152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!132037~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Clancy%2C+Tom%2C+1947-&amp;index=PZAUTH">Tom Clancy</a> after he died of an undisclosed cause in his native Baltimore on October 1 of this past year. Despite a relatively late start as an author (he was an insurance agent who dabbled in writing before <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13Y9807762YW4.3152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!751689~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=7&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+hunt+for+Red+October+%2F&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Hunt for Red October</em></a> was published), Clancy left a considerable legacy as the creator of the Jack Ryan/John Clark universe, a series of novels mostly following covert CIA missions. Later in his career, Clancy also wrote several non-fiction titles that dealt with various weaponry and military units. He became so well known, in fact, that his name became a brand, and he lent his moniker to numerous book series and video games. Doing so, of course, made the already wealthy author an additional fortune. By the time that Clancy died at the famed Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 66, he had put his mark on virtually every media field.</p>
<p>Just as the James Bond films keep the name of the character’s creator, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13Y9807762YW4.3152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!5883~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=14&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Fleming%2C+Ian%2C+1908-1964&amp;index=PZAUTH">Ian Fleming</a>, alive long after his death, the same may hold for Clancy, if Paramount Pictures has any say in it. That’s because this weekend, Paramount will release <em>Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit</em>, a film based on Clancy’s most famous creation. “Based on,” however, are the operative words here, as the screenplay is a fictional work that is not adapted from any Clancy novel. Instead, it just uses the Jack Ryan character – a CIA analyst who is more brains that brawn, but will employ physical action if thrust into a situation that requires it – as a departure point for high-tech derring-do. In that way, it’s much like the Bond film franchise, in which a number of the movies have had little in common with the same-named novel on which they are supposedly based, other than the character’s name and occupation.</p>
<p><em>Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit</em> stars Chris “Captain Kirk” Pine as Ryan, with other roles going to Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, and Kenneth Branagh, who also directed. Until I see it, I’ll reserve judgment. That is to say that I’ll give it the same chance to wow me as any other film. Hey, I want it to be good, just as I want any movie to be good, ‘cause nobody wants to waste their time seeing bad movies. The only thing is, with seventeen Clancy novels from which to choose, why go rogue? Only four of Clancy’s Jack Ryan books have been made into movies previously, so why not mine that gold? Sure, not every novel is as cinematic as the next, and some would be just downright difficult to adapt, but do they really need to abandon the original source material already, when it’s barely been tapped?</p>
<p><em><a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13Y9807762YW4.3152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!992311~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=16&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+hunt+for+Red+October&amp;index=PALLTI">The Hunt for Red October</a></em> was both Clancy’s first published book and the first to be turned into a movie. It was the first of four appearances of the Jack Ryan character on the big screen. Alec Baldwin essayed the role in that 1990 film. Interestingly, Kevin Costner (who co-stars in JR:SR) had previously been approached to play the character. He declined so that he could take on a personal project, something called <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1389A0EU58412.3170&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!947069~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Dances+with+wolves&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Dances with Wolves</em></a>. If memory serves he picked up three Oscars for it:&nbsp;Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture. Although starring in <em>The Hunt for Red October</em> may have been a good long-term career move financially,&nbsp;as he probably would have played the role several more times, I’d have to say that Costner made the right decision. Starring an all-star cast, including Sean Connery, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, and Tim Curry, many fans still view <em>The Hunt for Red October</em> as the high-water mark (pun intended!) of the series.</p>
<p><img alt="The DVD cover for Patriot Games." src="/sites/default/files/Patriot%20Games.jpg" style="float:right; height:299px; margin:5px; width:211px" />Due to internal politics at Paramount, Baldwin was unable to resume the role for 1992’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13Y9807762YW4.3152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1046165~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=18&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Patriot+games&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Patriot Games</em></a>. The official story, which is in some part true, is that Baldwin chose to star in a revival of <em>A Streetcar Named Desire</em> on Broadway and so wasn’t available. According to a column Baldwin wrote for <em>The Huffington Post</em>, the rest of the story is that Paramount had killed a major Harrison Ford project and still owed him several million dollars. Ford, of course, was a far bigger box office draw than Baldwin, so Paramount proved totally inflexible in accommodating Baldwin’s schedule in order to offer the part to Ford. Ford accepted (even though he was really too old for the role) and <em>Patriot Games</em> proved to be another hit.</p>
<p>Ford, Anne Archer (as Cathy Ryan), and director Philip Noyce reteamed from <em>Patriot Games</em> for 1994’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13Y9807762YW4.3152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!1015122~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=28&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Clear+and+present+danger&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Clear and Present Danger</em></a>. Also on hand was Willem Dafoe as Clancy’s other star character John Clark. Despite registering another triumph, the extremely right-leaning Clancy reportedly wasn’t a fan of the extremely left-leaning Ford, whom he felt was trying to introduce his own political leanings into the series. On the record, Clancy claimed that Ford was just too old (then in his early fifties) to play a character who was supposed to be in his early thirties. As a result, after <em>A Clear and Present Danger</em>, the very profitable series went on a fairly lengthy hiatus.</p>
<p>Some people confuse 1997’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13Y9807762YW4.3152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!960533~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=30&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Air+Force+One&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>Air Force One</em></a> with the Clancy/Ryan series. That’s not surprising, as Harrison Ford stars in the lead as a resourceful president who is able to go mano y mano with terrorists when they hijack the titular jet. It’s not just Ford’s presence that causes the confusion. In Clancy’s novels, Jack Ryan eventually becomes president of the United States, too. <em>Air Force One</em> has more than its share of moments requiring a sizable suspension of disbelief, but for those looking for an over-the-top action flick featuring a great cast (Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell) and excellent production values, it’s a decent substitute for a Clancy/Ryan title.</p>
<p><img alt="The DVD cover for The Sum of All Fears." src="/sites/default/files/The%20Sum%20of%20All%20Fears_1.jpg" style="float:right; height:299px; margin:5px; width:207px" />When Jack Ryan next hit the silver screen, it was with Ben Affleck in the role for 2002’s <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13Y9807762YW4.3152&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100006~!917223~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=32&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=The+sum+of+all+fears&amp;index=PALLTI"><em>The Sum of All Fears</em></a>. That movie was more or less a reboot of the franchise with Affleck playing a much younger version of the character than the one played by Ford. As portrayed by Affleck, Ryan was still wet behind the ears as an analyst and unmarried. Affleck’s casting, incidentally, had the complete approval of Clancy. <em>The Sum of All Fears</em> was another big hit, but critics weren’t particularly kind and many felt that Affleck was a poor choice to fill the shoes of Ford. Despite its box office success, the role was a one and done for Affleck.</p>
<p>On average, fans of the Jack Ryan films rate them in descending order from <em>The Hunt for Red October</em> to <em>The Sum of All Fears</em>, so it’ll be interesting to find out if <em>Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit</em> can end that downward trajectory. Come to your favorite branch of the Des Moines Public Library and checkout the previous Jack Ryan movies so you can&nbsp;rate them yourself. DVDs rent for one week at the cost of $2.00.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Wed, 15 Jan 2014 18:02:44 +0000Kevin4585 at http://dmpl.orgMusic from Manchester. England? Yeah, England.http://dmpl.org/blog/media-musings/music-manchester-england-yeah-england
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://dmpl.org/sites/default/files/The%20Smiths.jpg" width="319" height="319" alt="The album cover for The Sound of the Smiths." title="The Sound of the Smiths" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Back in the early nineties, while employed at a tiny news service in Chicago, I met a hip, happening college student named Tom who worked part-time there. I wrote entertainment copy for various outlets, and Tom was voice talent for prerecorded programming that the company supplied to the old touch-four phone services that existed before cell phones with web access arrived. As an entertainment writer then, and a media blogger now, I’m always asking people what kinds of movies, music, or TV shows they like. There’s just too much media out there to have direct experience with all of it myself, so I think it’s important to “keep an ear to the ground,” as they used to say, to find out what’s getting people excited. Of course, I end up with more passionate recommendations than I can ever check out, but when I hear the same one mentioned over and over again I know there must be something to it.</p>
<p>Anyway, getting back to Tom in Chicago, I once asked him what kind of music he liked. He said he loved <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1388424TV15T3.28850&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!807784~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Smiths+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Smiths</a>/<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13H842425E06E.28855&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!200656~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Marr%2C+Johnny&amp;index=PZAUTH">Johnny Marr</a>/<a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1388PR431S434.28860&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!482583~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Morrissey.&amp;index=PZAUTH">Morrissey</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1388424X5Q223.28864&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!194481~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Stone+Roses+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Stone Roses</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1S884AQ386375.28870&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!194322~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=New+Order+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">New Order</a> and, well… just about anything coming out of Manchester. Manchester, England, I asked? Yeah, he said, Manchester is where it’s at! Manchester is the center of the musical universe! Everything that’s good right now is from Manchester. Really, I asked incredulously, Manchester? Dude, I can’t believe you don’t already know that. OK, I admit, that comment stung a little, as I truly try to stay in the know.</p>
<p>No, that’s not quite true. It stung a lot. Enough so, that I immediately held an impromptu poll. Is anyone aware that Manchester is the center of the musical universe, I asked?&nbsp;The responses varied. England, one asked? I thought Minneapolis was the hot scene, said another. It’s Seattle, claimed another (how right he would soon be proved). How about Athens, Georgia? still another offered. Manchester? Sure, I knew that, said the secretary. You did, I asked? How? Tom told me, she said. Figures, I answered. As a result of my quick (and very unscientific) poll, I wasn’t ready to accept Tom’s assertion about Manchester. I did, however, allow him to make his case in greater depth, but he failed to convince me.&nbsp;I think the problem was that I just wasn’t familiar with any of the bands he was talking about, which made it all but impossible to take him at his word – despite the fact that his word was typically solid.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Oasis_4.jpg" style="float:left; height:275px; margin:5px; width:275px" />Just a few years later, I became a fan of such bands as <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1388P2V426238.28872&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!256546~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Oasis+%28Rock+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Oasis</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13884M44576LA.28875&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!266261~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Verve+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Verve</a>, and James (who I once saw on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago). Strangely enough, all of those bands came from Manchester. Perhaps there’d been something to Tom’s claim, after all. I had moved on from that job long before, however, and I never had a chance to rehash the subject with him. After that, I didn’t think much more about it. That is, not until several more years had passed. At a family gathering a while back, my Dad told us that his mother’s family had come to Wisconsin from Manchester, England. It’s actually not surprising that this had never come up before. His mother died when he was a toddler and has no real memories of her. The information that he was relaying to us at that point had come from some documents in a box that had been passed down to him by relatives.</p>
<p>Suddenly, I had a Manchester connection! I was now proud of the fact that the city in the northwest of England had produced so many notable rock artists. Not just that, but Manchester is a major urban metropolis with a rich history. To that end, here are a quick few factoids about the city:</p>
<ol>
<li>Manchester was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, one of the most important developments (good or bad, depending on your personal viewpoint) in the history of mankind;</li>
<li>Although Manchester is commonly referred to as “The Second City of England” (for its influence, culture, and economics), in terms of population, it’s actually only the eighth largest city in the United Kingdom, though the metropolitan area now ranks as the UK’s second largest urban region, having moved past the Birmingham metro in the recently-released 2011 census; and</li>
<li>Manchester is home to two English Premier League (that’s football over there, soccer here) teams: Manchester United – which is to the English Premier League what the New York Yankees are to Major League Baseball, and Manchester City – which is to Manchester United what the New York Mets are to the Yanks.</li>
</ol>
<p>Long before the eighties came and passed, Manchester had already been put on the musical map. The city supplied two of the biggest bands in the initial wave of the British Invasion: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=X388424515Y7M.28879&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!688928~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Herman%27s+Hermits+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Herman’s Hermits</a> and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1G8842K54312X.28880&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!189557~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Hollies+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Hollies</a>, but also <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1Q88424595CJ4.28885&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!209388~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Freddie+%26+the+Dreamers+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Freddie and the Dreamers</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1EK842464Q934.28891&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!321300~!3&amp;ri=2&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=Fame,+Georgie&amp;index=PZAUTH&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2">Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13884O469734X.28896&amp;menu=search&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;npp=20&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=ce&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~%21horizon&amp;index=.GW&amp;term=the+mindbenders&amp;x=6&amp;y=6&amp;aspect=subtab38">The Mindbenders</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=*&amp;menu=search&amp;npp=10&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;profile=profileID&amp;ri=&amp;term=mayall%2C+john&amp;index=.GW&amp;Submit=Go">John Mayall &amp; The Bluesbreakers</a>, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1388I2I8D7325.28916&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!146629~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Monkees+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Monkees</a>’ Davy Jones). In the seventies, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13Q8B24870562.28917&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!581589~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=10cc+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">10cc</a> enjoyed success both in Britain and abroad. A key band in the mid-seventies punk movement was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1K8B4249009J3.28920&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!207326~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Buzzcocks+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">The Buzzcocks</a>, though they never found much favor in the United States.</p>
<p>Manchester started becoming a musical scene, rather than a supplier of bands for London, with <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=X38842493YK31.28922&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!531507~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Joy+Division+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Joy Division</a>, a post-punk band whose lead singer, Ian Curtis, tragically committed suicide on the eve of their first scheduled U.S. tour. Fortunately for Curtis’ band mates, they were able to regroup, transform their sound to synth pop, change their name to New Order, and become an international sensation as an electronic/dance band.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Happy%20Mondays_0.jpg" style="float:right; height:271px; margin:5px; width:275px" />From that point, a number of Manchester acts came on the scene mining the same or similar sonic territory: <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1388D2K98M512.28925&amp;profile=ce&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;view=subscriptionsummary&amp;uri=full=3100001~!853671~!1&amp;ri=2&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ipp=20&amp;spp=20&amp;staffonly=&amp;term=level+42&amp;index=.GW&amp;uindex=&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=2">Level 42</a>, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=138842AK388Y7.28933&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!195619~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Stansfield%2C+Lisa&amp;index=PZAUTH">Lisa Stansfield</a>, James, The Smiths, <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=K388425V78J19.28935&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!192214~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Simply+Red+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Simply Red</a>, When in Rome, and <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13884L51F55R3.28941&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!193449~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Swing+Out+Sister+%28Musical+group%29&amp;index=PZAUTH">Swing Out Sister</a>. Many of those would soon be lumped into the category of new wave bands, pop-inflected, synthesizer-heavy, club-ready dance bands. At the center of the “Madchester” era of the latter half of the eighties was <a href="http://libhip.dmpl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1388425177W4F.28944&amp;profile=ce&amp;uri=link=3100018~!1018977~!3100001~!3100002&amp;aspect=subtab38&amp;menu=search&amp;ri=1&amp;source=~!horizon&amp;term=Happy+Mondays.&amp;index=PZAUTH">Happy Mondays</a>, a rave/house music band who helped introduce “the big beat,” the heavier dance thump that is the underlying sound of every pop queen working today. The drug-induced implosion of Happy Mondays in 1992 effectively ended the Madchester scene.</p>
<p>Running concurrently with the Madchester scene was a new musical strain that mimicked the British guitar pop of the sixties and seventies. That strain would be characterized simply as alternative in the United States, but in England it was more specifically known as Britpop. It exploded in the UK with Manchester’s The Stone Roses at its head. They were followed by fellow Mancunian bands The Verve, and slightly later by the act that became the biggest Britpop band of all: Oasis.&nbsp;Britpop remained a popular international subgenre of alternative into the late nineties. Since then, Manchester has receded from the musical limelight, but perhaps my co-worker Tom was right after all. For a while, at least, a lot of great, innovative music came out of Manchester.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/rock-music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">rock music</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Blog:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/media-musings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Musings</a></div></div></div>Sat, 28 Dec 2013 18:59:28 +0000Kevin4412 at http://dmpl.org